The Path Not Taken
by Ultrawoman
Summary: After Logan breaks up with her, a talk with a guy in the cafeteria puts things in perspective for Veronica. Originally, that was Piz, and Veronica & Logan were reunited, but what if it was someone else? Make way for Eli 'Weevil' Navarro because he's about to change everything.
1. Show Me How

**A/N: I don't know how many people still read VMars fic and I certainly have no idea if anyone still reads WeeVer. I'm a LoVe girl first and foremost, but the movie gave me that happy ending and I don't feel the need to rewrite it anymore. A rewatch of the whole VMars series just recently gave me a jolt of inspiration for a different pairing, and so, here we are. If you like it, please let me know in a review, but honestly, I'm expecting to just write this for myself! lol**

 _ **Disclaimer: All recognisable characters and dialogue from Veronica Mars belong to Rob Thomas and other folks who aren't me.**_

Chapter 1 - Show Me How

Veronica was pretty sure there were few things less pathetic than hanging alone in the cafeteria, too late in the evening, just because she had nowhere better to go. Unfortunately, that was just the way it was tonight. She wasn't sure she wanted company even if she could have some, but with her friends all busy with studying or socialising or whatever else, her dad tied up with work, and her boyfriend no longer wanting to hold the title, that just left Veronica, all alone, again. Well, not quite alone. She glanced up to see Piz in the radio booth. He smiled and raised a hand in an awkward wave and Veronica did the same. She had half an idea of asking if he wanted to come sit with her when his set was done, but her heart wasn't really in it. She would just be using the poor guy and that wasn't cool.

"Hey, V."

She was startled to hear a voice and it must've showed given the way Weevil was smirking at her when she turned to look.

"Wow, you're really havin' an off day, Mars," he said, gesturing towards a table at which they both sat down. "I ain't ever seen you jump like that before."

"Off day. Off week," she considered, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I am a little out of it lately."

"Somethin' to do with the rocky romantic life?"

Veronica frowned at that remark then noted how Weevil was no longer looking at her. He knew something he wasn't necessarily supposed to, at least something that she hadn't specifically told him herself.

"I was over at your girl Mac's room before for a maintenance thing," he explained without ever being asked. "She mentioned something about you and a break-up."

"Huh. You must've been celebrating that one," she said, rolling her eyes, not even caring when Weevil tried to give her that 'what do you take me for?' look. "C'mon, Weevil, you and I both know that you were never okay with me dating Logan."

"I just know you can do better, that's all," he said seriously, meeting her eyes across the table. "I know you think I just got something against all rich, white 'dudes' and I ain't denying that's true, but Echolls is just... he did wrong by Lily and he did wrong by you, V. He screwed up one too many times. I want better for you than that."

"I know," she said, smiling at the sentiment. "I know that you and my dad and Wallace all make very valid points about Logan, but this time it wasn't all his fault. You know, _he_ broke up with _me_?" she pointed out, stabbing her fork pointlessly into salad leaves she was never going to eat. "Sometimes I think I do it on purpose. Not consciously but... well, me and guys, tends to be a train wreck, doesn't it?"

"I'm still here." Weevil shrugged, continuing with his food like he just said nothing of any real importance.

Veronica knew different. He had a point. He was still there. He was always there, had her back no matter what. It was strange when she thought about all the people in her life, the guys most specifically. Boyfriends came and went, but certain men remained the same. Her father was always there to fall back on, no matter what. Wallace was also stalwart and true as the old saying went, her brother in every sense but blood. Then there was Weevil.

Veronica wasn't the type to put people into boxes as a rule, but if she were she knew she would struggle with him. She couldn't put him down as a brother, they flirted way too much for that and there had been more than one improper dream that she really wasn't comfortable thinking about right now. Yes, he was a friend, but it was more than that too. It was undefinable, what they had, but Veronica knew for sure that she would never want to be without whatever it was she and Weevil shared.

"Did I grow another head that I don't know about?"

She was startled from deep thought by the sound of his voice. Twice in as many minutes. It was already becoming a bad habit.

"What?"

"You're staring at me like I'm one of your cases that needs solvin'," said Weevil, looking a little bemused and then he smiled that familiar self-assured smile. "Not that I blame you for admiring the view, I'm just wondering why today? Is this a rebound thing?"

Veronica was pretty sure he was joking, trying to make her laugh when she seemed down, trying to be flirty and amusing, that was all. At the same time, she had to wonder, as she had more than once before, if he were serious, what he would do if she pushed the point all the way home instead of dismissing it all as a joke.

It was so stupid, at least that was what she told herself, looking back down at her food and literally shaking her head free of a dumb train of thought. She didn't look at Weevil that way, not usually. Well, not often. Sometimes, maybe, but now wasn't the time for that. Like he said, it would just be a rebound thing, and that never turned out well. Still, after all this time of knowing each other, would that really be all it was?

"Not going down that road," she muttered to herself, pretending he hadn't heard her even when she knew he must've done.

"So, Echolls is an even bigger idiot than I thought, huh? I mean, he broke up with you? What, he thought he could do better?"

"No, that wasn't it."

Veronica shook her head, meaning to tell Weevil she really didn't want to talk about it, but the truth was, a part of her kind of did. For everybody else, she put on a brave face, even let Mac and Parker convince her that getting her flirt on with other guys would be good for her, but behind closed doors, Veronica cried. What she didn't do was talk, because she had no-one she felt she could really be truly honest and open with, not about Logan and their relationship anyway. As much as Weevil hated her ex, for reasons too numerous to mention, he would listen and he would be cool about it. He always had been before.

"It wasn't all his fault," she said eventually, throwing her plastic fork into the salad box, knowing she was done with it anyway. "Logan is... well, he loves me and he wants to protect me. Trouble is I'm not really wired to be protected. I can't walk away from trouble, Weevil, it's not me. I have to dive in, I can't help it."

"And Logan's not wired to live with that," he said, deliberately borrowing her words. "Takes a lot for any guy to step back and let a woman be that way, I guess. The temptation to step in..." he said, shaking his head.

"I get it. It's not that I don't, it's just... I guess I'm not prepared to change. Not even for him."

"You shouldn't, for anybody," said Weevil definitely. "Ain't none of us perfect, V. You and me, we know that better than most," he told her, smirking some but genuine none the less. "Still, we gotta be who we are, whoever and whatever that is. There ain't nothin' wrong you, girl. There never was."

It was one of the nicest things he ever said to her, Veronica was sure on that, and she loved him for being so kind. The truth was that she knew it wasn't just that. He was being honest too. Weevil was never really anything else with her, at least, not when it truly mattered. She kind of loved that about him too.

"Are you hoping I'll be so flattered that I'll buy you dessert or something?" she asked him, smiling, hoping to laugh her way out of almost crying from how nice he was being to her.

Usually he would let her do it. Today, Weevil wasn't quite so willing.

"You always do that," he told her. "I never could figure if you're just really bad at taking a compliment or if it was just because it was me sayin' it."

"Why would you complimenting me make me uncomfortable?" she asked, even as she reached for her water bottle and shifted in her seat, proving the truth of it.

"You tell me, V," he said, shrugging his shoulders, then leaned into her personal space some and dropped his tone low. "After all these years, do I still make you nervous?"

"Please!" Veronica rolled her eyes. "The day I'm afraid of you-"

"I didn't mean nervous afraid," he told her with a look that was unmistakable.

It was so weird but Veronica was actually fairly certain she could feel a blush rising in her cheeks in that moment. Nobody else could ever do that to her, not these days, just him. It had to mean something, she supposed, though she usually refused to think on it too much. Now, it really felt like she had no choice in the matter.

"You ever think about it?" she asked, feeling safer in turning the tables than making any confessions of her own.

"Think about what?" he asked, screwing up the wrapper from his burger and looking everywhere but at her.

"You and me, what might've been," she said, making her expression deliberately unaffected by the time he glanced at her again.

It wasn't a joke, not right now, but Veronica hoped she could pass it off as one if he laughed, no matter how much it hurt. All the banter and the flirting all these years could've been just harmless fun, except for the times when it almost wasn't. Besides, that wasn't all they had. They were friends, confidantes, compadres.

"Another world, another time," said Weevil, smiling but shaking his head at the same time. "I think about all kinds of things. If Lily wasn't gone. If my parents had been around. If your dad was still sheriff. There's a hundred ifs and maybes, V, but what's the point, right?"

"Answering a question with another question is now I operate, Eli, not you," she told him smartly.

He laughed at that, he couldn't help it.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know when we sat down here that I was gonna land up on the end of a Mars patented interrogation," he said with a look.

"No interrogation, just one question. You ever think about it?"

He seemed to consider his answer a long time before he gave it. Veronica couldn't figure out if he was trying to decide which version of the truth to tell her, or just what the real truth actually was.

"Sometimes," he said eventually. "You?"

"Sometimes," she agreed, nodding her head and finding a real genuine smile came to her lips the very next second. "The weirdest part is, I almost think Lily would be proud of me, choosing guys from her exes. Crazy, huh?"

"Nah, Lil was special. You and her, you're not the same, not by a long shot, but you're both special, Mars. Don't you dare forget that."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she promised him, wondering where the wobble in her voice was coming from, that and the tears in her eyes. "You're a real nice guy, Eli Navarro, you know that?"

"Sure, but don't go tellin' everybody about it," he said, mock seriously.

"Don't sweat it, Zuko," she said, putting on the best cool guy voice that she could, "I know you got a rep to protect."

"Hey, you gonna make me any of those prissy white boys from a musical, then I'll be Kenickie."

"Leader of the gang," said Veronica knowingly.

"Yeah," he agreed, getting up from his seat and picking up his tray to leave. "That and Zuko had the girl who had to act cool to keep him. Me? I'd pick the woman with an edge from the start."

He tipped her a wink as he turned and walked away then, leaving Veronica to marvel at the real meaning behind his words. She watched Weevil head for the door and realised almost too late that she was a fool if she just watched him go. Leaping up from her seat, she moved all of two paces forward before Piz got in her path.

"Hey," he greeted her, grinning wide.

"Sorry, Piz. Can't talk right now," she said patting him on the shoulder as she hurried for the exit. "Hey, Weevil!" she called behind him, hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder and trying not to look too flustered when he turned back to look her way.

"What's up, V?"

"Nothing," she assured him. "I just wanted to say... thanks," she settled on eventually.

"Anytime," he promised, turning to go again.

She let him this time, because honestly, Veronica knew she had nothing else she could possibly say right now even if she begged him to stay. Still, he had given her a lot to think about, whether he knew it or not, and for the first time in several days, her mind was not stuck on Logan anymore.

 _To Be Continued..._


	2. Monkey Business

**A/N: Hey, I got readership. Who knew that was going to happen? Not me! lol Thanks to all those who left a review. Here comes Chapter 2...**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 2 - Monkey Business

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" asked Veronica, frowning at the way Mac was staring at her with something akin to a clown-like grin on her face. "I mean, I understand the 'I have a new boyfriend' glow that comes with you and Bronson getting along so well, but this is different. This is almost like you're happy for _me_ , and I'm not in your new relationship club. I'd still like a little time before I jump back into that pool," she said definitely.

"I know, and I completely understand that you need some post-Logan space and time," said Mac definitely, flipping her hair out from under the top she just pulled on, "but honestly? I'm just happy that you seem better these past couple of days. Not ecstatically happy, because no-one is expecting that, but better, less in a dark place."

"Yeah, I'm blaming Weevil," said Veronica, unable to keep from smiling as Mac sat down beside her on the bed. "He was doing the whole cheering me up thing the other day. It was kind of a 'plenty more fish in the sea' talk but better, I guess."

"Okay." Mac nodded. "It's funny, I didn't have ex-biker guy down for the sensitive type."

"And he would kill me if he thought I was spreading the rumour that he was," said Veronica, smiling in spite of herself. "He's just a good friend, that's all."

"That's all?" Mac echoed, one eyebrow raised.

Veronica meant to say an immediate and vehement 'yes' in answer to that question, but for whatever reason, she didn't, she couldn't. It would've been the truth. Weevil was a friend, had been for a long time, nothing more, nothing less, but as they had admitted in their conversation a couple of days ago, they had both thought about being something different, something more.

To admit that out loud to anyone else seemed wrong, even though Veronica had told Mac so many other things that could really only be shared amongst best girl friends. This one still felt like a strange detail to admit to, though she couldn't really say why it should. Given her past boyfriends, more over, given Mac's past boyfriends, nothing and no-one ought to be shocking anymore.

"Do you think it would be completely crazy if I, sort of, maybe, went out on a date... with Weevil?" she asked carefully, looking sideways at Mac as if her friend had just turned into an unexploded bomb.

To Mac's credit there was no explosion. No yelling, no laughter, nothing more than a slight widening of the eyes as the girls looked at each other.

"I guess not." Mac shrugged in an almost over-the-top way. "I mean, I never really thought about you two... well, except for when..."

"You wanna finish any of those sentences?" asked Veronica, just vaguely amused by the way Mac seemed entirely flustered all of a sudden.

"C'mon, Veronica," she sighed then. "You know what people used to say about you in high school."

"That I pleasured everyone from the swim team to the janitorial staff via the local gang leader?" said her friend, nodding sadly. "Oh, what a fine reputation I cultivated at Neptune High."

With a great heaving sigh, she threw herself back onto the bed with a thud. Mac followed her down, the two of them staring up at the ceiling in silence for a beat or two.

"Before I knew you," Mac said eventually, "I wasn't sure what to believe. I mean, some of the stuff people said, it was clearly fictional, but I didn't know for sure about all of it. After we got to be friends, well, I was hardly going to ask." She turned to look at Veronica who still had her eyes on the ceiling yet. "I'll be honest, I know you were with Duncan, I know you were with Logan, but when it came to Weevil..."

It was Veronica's turn to wear the wide-eyed look as she turned to stare at Mac then.

"Really?"

"I don't know!" Mac exclaimed, not sure whether she should feel bad or not about her assumption. "You guys always seem so close."

"I'm close with Wallace too, but believe me, that never happened either," said Veronica making a face.

"That's different." Mac rolled her eyes. "You and Wallace are like brother and sister. It would never occur to me that you guys were that kind of close, but you and Weevil... you had a rep, he has a rep. There were rumours about him and Lily Kane too."

Veronica sat up at the sound of her old friend's name, crossing her legs underneath her. Her eyes closed a moment and an odd smile came to her lips.

"Lily and Weevil were together, though I had no idea about it when it was actually happening. It all came out after," she admitted. "Me and Weevil, that never happened. It was all just flirting and banter. He's been a real friend to me, someone I can rely on, sometimes when the list of people I could turn to was super-short."

"But you never thought about him that way until now?" asked Mac, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Never say never." Veronica smirked. "I thought about it. In those daydream moments of 'what if?' that everybody probably has, but never in a serious way, until a couple of days ago. It's so weird. Not so long ago, I was heartbroken because Logan ended things and now, suddenly, contemplating dating someone else, anyone else... it seems wrong."

"There's no right or wrong way to get over a relationship or to start a new one," said Mac with more certainty than even she herself expected. "I guess there's something to be said for not rebounding into something that could end with you losing a good friend, but only you know how you really feel."

Veronica made a pained growling sound and covered her face with both hands. She had no idea what she was feeling, she only wished she did. She wished that Mac or somebody could tell her, but that was impossible. The truth was supposed to set you free and Veronica was all for lies and deceit being pulled out of the shadows into the light, no matter how painful. The problem was not being entirely certain what the truth really was, which made it that much harder to tell.

"I should just give up dating altogether, forever!" she declared, removing her hands from her face and flinging her arms wide. "No more guys. None, zilch, zip."

"Which leaves you with two options," said Mac, trying not to smirk too much at her friends dramatics, or the words she herself was about to say, "lesbianism or the nunnery."

"No offence to our friends with all the gay pride, but I'm really not the Willow-and-Tara type," said Veronica, shaking her head. "Which leaves me with the Sound of Music look. Great," she declared, rolling her eyes.

"I really don't think swearing off guys is the way to go," said Mac, shaking her head. "I mean, come on, you're talking to formerly frozen-from-the-waist-down girl, and even I've started dating again."

"Yeah, but Bronson is so sweet, and you're just so cute together," said Veronica, smiling wide. "I'm really happy for you, Mac."

"Thank you, me too," her friend replied, blushing terribly, "but I'd like for you to be happy too, and hey, if you think maybe a date with Weevil is a good idea, I am not judging. I don't know him as well as you do, but he was never anything but nice to me."

"I didn't know you knew him at all beyond a name and a face," said Veronica then, a little bemused as she thought it over. "I mean, he mentioned coming over here for maintenance purposes the other day, but I kind of thought that was the first real conversation you guys ever had."

"Nooo," Mac said definitely, shaking her head. "You're forgetting finals last year. Apparently, you were too busy with your own to tutor our Mr Navarro in algebra."

"Right." Veronica snapped her fingers as the light dawned in her mind.

The smile fell right off her face when she saw the expression Mac was now wearing. It was all very well bringing up high school memories, but so many for her, especially in their senior year, had included Cassidy Casablancas. Veronica still couldn't think of the guy without breaking out in a cold sweat and feeling entirely nauseous, and she was pretty sure Mac felt much the same. They both shook off the moment and moved forward in the conversation fast.

"Anyway, you think if you asked, Weevil would say yes to a date?"

"You think he'd say no?" asked Veronica, suddenly concerned. "Wow, am I really conceited for not even considering that?"

"Probably not." Mac laughed at her friend's expression. "I'm pretty sure most guys say yes when a gorgeous and intelligent young woman asks them out."

"And you're the example that proves the rule, Miss Mackenzie," said Veronica, joining in on the mutual appreciation society. "Bronson sure didn't need asking twice."

That brought on another round of blushing from Mac and then the door swung open as Parker came crashing into the room, all full of her usual exuberance and chatter. Mac met Veronica's gaze the moment Parker's back was turned and rolled her eyes. Veronica made a cutting motion and mouthed words that said she didn't want any of their previous conversations mentioned in front of Parker. Mac had expected that and promised with a zipping hand-gesture that she wouldn't say a word. That didn't mean she wasn't thinking about what Veronica had told her for a good while after. She was in good company. Veronica couldn't seem to leave the subject alone either.

* * *

Veronica didn't go to get breakfast in Hearst's cafeteria the next morning specifically to see Weevil. She had no idea how often he went there to eat, but that didn't mean she wasn't looking around every so often, just in case he appeared. It was weird when on her next glance in the direction of the nearest entrance she met Logan's eyes. They really hadn't talked at all since he broke up with her, barely seen each other, truth be told. When they did meet like this, she had kind of expected to be in some real pain. It did hurt to see him, but mostly it just felt awkward and strange, doubly so when a tray joined hers on the table and her gaze shifted from Logan in the middle distance to another guy close up.

"Please tell me you're not considering what I think you're considering right now," said Weevil with a look.

"You mean you don't think a lower back tattoo would look good on me?" she quipped, gesturing towards a girl at the next table who was leaning over her friend's shoulder and showing off her own impressive ink.

Weevil followed the direction of her pointer finger but didn't make a comment on what he knew was a joke. Veronica wasn't the type for that kind of artwork and they both knew it. She just didn't want to deal with talking about Echolls, he supposed, and that was fine by him.

"I don't know, V," he said, sitting down opposite her. "I can see you gettin' inked, but like that? No way," he told her, shaking his head.

"Okay, I'll bite," she said, smiling with amusement. "Exactly what tattoo do you see me getting? A butterfly maybe? A unicorn?" she joked, fluttering her eyelashes like the girly girl she hadn't been in too many years.

The joke didn't feel so funny when she realised just how intently Weevil was staring at her in that moment. Any other day, she probably wouldn't have thought much about it, but everything was different now. Since a few days ago when they had sat just a couple of tables over from here talking about what might've been. Since yesterday when Veronica spoke seriously to Mac about maybe, one day actually dating Eli Navarro.

"Phoenix."

"Excuse me?"

"A tattoo for you. A phoenix maybe. You know, power and beauty, bird of fire rising from the ashes?"

"Huh."

The usually quick-witted Veronica had no words for that one, which was new. Fortunately, Weevil wasn't the type to make her feel stupid about it. In companionable silence, they both gave attention to their food for a little while, and then started to fall into regular conversation about her studies, his work, the usual anecdotes and jokes.

"I'm honestly amazed there's any eggs left in this place," said Weevil, watching Veronica polish off her breakfast, complete with scrambled eggs. "I've cleaned so many off all kinds of places lately."

"Ah, the Lilith House girls. They will not be stopped." Veronica sighed. "And they really went on the rampage the night Dean O'Dell died, huh?"

"I can't believe how dumb these chicas are, you know? They're mad at the Dean, so they egg his window, like he's the one who has to clean it up."

"The Dean's window?" Veronica echoed, frowning by now. "I didn't know they egged the Dean's window that night."

"Well, all I know is somebody did," Weevil told her. "He was a good guy, the Dean, you know. It's a damn shame."

Veronica nodded her agreement to that statement, but she wasn't entirely listening anymore. It made her mind whir, getting a new clue in the possible murder of Dean O'Dell. Thinking back over the last few days, of how she had let herself get so caught up in the end of one romantic relationship and the potential start of another, she felt so guilty. Cracking the case, solving the crime, especially one as big as this, it ought to come first.

"Hey, you're doing that thing where you think too hard again," said Weevil, his hand on her arm getting her attention at last. "You're gonna hurt yourself one of these days, V."

"I've heard that before," she said, nodding her head and finding him a smile.

Before he could pull his hand away, Veronica put hers down on top of his own.

"You know, Weevil, I was thinking..." she began, glancing up to meet his eyes one more time, and in an instant, her nerve went. "Um, I was thinking that you're a really great friend and I don't think I tell you that enough. So, there it is. I really have to go now."

She was up from her seat and practically running from the table before Weevil hardly had time to blink. Frowning hard, he turned and watched her make her escape and then let out a low whistle.

"That chica goin' loca," he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he picked up his coffee to take a drink.

His eyes went to his own hand on the table then, the one Veronica had held onto for a little while there. That was new. So was V getting all weird and tongue tied when it came to talking to him about anything. Weevil couldn't help but wonder what that was all about, especially thinking back to the conversation they had a couple of days ago.

"Nah," he said to himself, sure he had to have the wrong idea. "Ain't ever gonna happen," he muttered, picking up his tray full of trash and walking away from the table.

No time to think too much about things that'd never happen. Much like V, he had work to do, as always.

 _To Be Continued..._


	3. Frisky, Tramps, and Weev

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, peops, and apologies for the delay in updating. The extreme hot weather saps my concentration and overheats my laptop!**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 3 - Frisky, Tramps and Weev

It was amazing how you could miss somebody when you really started to notice them. Just when Veronica felt she had truly begun to appreciate the presence of one Eli Navarro in her life, he seemed to disappear. It probably wasn't deliberate, at least she hoped not. Actually, it was likely to be as much her absence as his that meant they didn't see each other much.

Veronica was forever in class or trying to figure out the case of the Comic Con hooker or similar. Man, that one had been a doozy and, quite honestly, Veronica probably could've used Weevil's muscle as much as anything else when the bad guys decided to take umbrage at her and Max trying to buy a prize prostitute out of the game. Not that Veronica wanted her friend around simply for the job, she just missed him.

Wandering down to the cafeteria, she hoped he might be around. It was getting late but there was a chance Weevil would stop in there for dinner. It wouldn't be the first time. It was amazing how disappointed Veronica was to find he wasn't there. She genuinely considered going over to his apartment then. Friends could drop in on friends, it was normal, practically expected, and yet Veronica felt weird about it.

"Pull it together, Mars," she admonished herself, turning to leave and running headlong into someone coming the other way.

"I'd say that's the first sign of going crazy," said Weevil even as she bounced off his chest and was steadied by his own hands, "but you and me, we both know you been showing those signs a long time, V."

"Takes one to know one," she said, an easy quip that came naturally to her lips. "You always prowl around the halls so late in the day, startling innocent young women?"

"Nah, never the innocent ones, they're no fun," he told her with a wicked smirk. "You on your way out?"

"Er, yeah, sort of. I don't know, I thought about getting dinner here instead of home since my dad is out of town, but it was pretty empty, at least of people I know. Nobody wants to eat alone, right?"

"I'm heading in. I'll stand you a salad or whatever you skinny chicas are eatin' these days," he offered, eyes raking over her body.

It never usually had any effect on Veronica, or at least very little. She knew he was just messing around and didn't mean anything by the flirting, the looks, the innuendos. The trouble was, she had started to see it all as potentially meaning something, and just couldn't find a way to shut it off this past week or two. She almost didn't want to when he looked at her like that.

"A salad?" she echoed, perhaps belatedly. "Please, I'm a cheeseburger girl, you know this."

"I guess all that Nancy Drew stuff does a body good, huh?" he said, still smirking and licking his lips for good measure as he finally moved by her into the cafeteria.

Veronica took a deep breath and followed along behind him. He had to know just exactly what he was doing right now. For all that Weevil never had a rep for being a brain, he certainly wasn't dumb. After their last couple of conversations, maybe he was thinking exactly what she was thinking. Well, Veronica hoped not exactly, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they were in the same ballpark at least.

"You and me meeting here, it's becoming a habit," he said as she joined him in the line for food.

"One you wanna kick?" asked Veronica, trying to keep any hint of concern out of her voice.

"Not a chance," Weevil assured her shaking his head.

They chose their food, Weevil insisted on paying, and then they found a table. Veronica liked that they could eat in companionable silence, and that when they did talk it all started to feel a little more normal again, at least for a while. Things took a worrying turn when she looked up and saw a familiar face walk in through the door.

"Great," she said softly, closing her eyes for a beat.

Weevil looked in the direction she must've been a moment before and saw who Veronica had seen. The view didn't exactly thrill him either, but it could've been worse. Echolls would've made a big deal of him and Veronica eating together, maybe even started a fight if he'd had a mind to. Weevil couldn't afford to lose this job, so he could do without it. Logan's surfer dude buddy was less likely to care at all what Veronica did, and yet he was suddenly striding over to their table with a face like thunder.

"This oughta be good," Weevil muttered, noticing that Veronica looked equally surprised and pissed that Casablancas was approaching.

"Yo, Ronnie. I know we're not exactly best buds or whatever but I think you have a right to know just how scuzzy your ex really is."

"My ex a.k.a. your best friend and room-mate?" she checked, sure he could only mean Logan, and yet it was unlike Dick to be so angry at him.

"He is so not my best friend. You know what he was doing in Aspen over winter break?"

"Skiing?" she tried, trying not to notice Weevil's eyes flying back and forth between her and Dick like he was watching a ping-pong match.

"Maybe I should've asked do you know _who_ he was doing?" said Dick crossly. "He and Madison totally got it on."

"Madison Sinclair?"

Veronica had absolutely no control over her face or her voice or anything in that moment. She might've wondered what she looked or sounded like to the outside world if her brain was capable of anything but screaming inside of her head. That sound was too loud for her to make out any other words coming out of Dick's mouth and then he was walking away. Still, Veronica couldn't centre herself, not until she felt Weevil's hand on her shoulder, then finally her eyes focused on his concerned face.

"Hey, you okay?" he checked, probably not for the first time given the tone in his voice.

"Uh-huh," Veronica forced out, nodding her head. "I, er... no, I can't."

Her voice rose even in those few words as she scrambled to her feet and ran. She didn't really know where she was going, just away from the staring eyes of anyone who might see her cry. The second she cleared a set of doors into an empty hallway, she threw her back against the wall and let the tears come. It was pathetic and stupid and she hated herself for it, but she couldn't help it. She felt sick, as if she might actually, physically vomit any second. Though that probably wouldn't happen, she really could not stop crying.

When the doors opened again, she flinched away, mindful of being seen. She practically put her nose up against the nearest bulletin board so others might think she was just reading a poster, as if she could see anything through the tears.

"Hey," said a voice she knew, that familiar hand on her shoulder one more time.

Weevil turned her around and she fell into him just sobbing. It was so dumb, and she must've apologised at least a dozen times as she soaked the front of his shirt. He didn't seem to care, telling her it was no problem, just holding onto her and rubbing her back as she cried.

Of course, they were both aware that this was a public place. Anybody could walk through at any time and probably would. For more than one reason, Veronica didn't really want other people seeing her like this, and Weevil knew it too.

"C'mon," he said, when the worst seemed to be over, "let's get you outta here," he urged her, trying to get her to walk alongside him.

His arm remained around her shoulders as he took her out of a less-commonly used door and around the back of the building to the staff parking lot. Weevil knew his boss was going to skin him alive for disappearing like this, and God knows he needed to keep his job, but this was Veronica and she needed him. Everything else he would worry about later.

They didn't talk on the way home, not even when they got there, though Weevil was pleased to see that Veronica had at least stopped crying. She was hurting though, that was obvious, enough that she couldn't even speak. That wasn't like her and it was the most worrying part out of all of this. Weevil would so love to go see Logan Echolls right now and beat his pretty boy face until he was unrecognisable. It wouldn't help Veronica, but that didn't mean he wouldn't like to do it.

A half hour after they left Hearst, Veronica was sitting on Weevil's couch while he poured them both a drink, hers considerably larger than his own by design. She took the glass wordlessly from his hand and gulped down a large mouthful. She winced and coughed right after, then swallowed down some more.

"Feel better now?" he checked, sitting down beside her and sipping from his own glass.

Veronica nodded, watching her drink swirl as she turned the glass around and around in her hands.

"Thanks," she said too softly. "I'm sorry. It's not like me at all, I know, and I know how it seems but I am _not_ jealous, I swear," she explained, feeling like she had to in the circumstances. "What or who Logan does is his business now, but back then..."

She stumbled on the words, shook her head and bit her lip. She glanced at Weevil and saw him braced for further tears from her, but Veronica wasn't giving in again. She had cried her last over Logan Echolls, she was determined on that, but she still had to explain all this to Weevil. She refused to have him look at her like she was weak, ever.

"I know we were on a break or whatever, but Madison Sinclair, of all people," she said, anger overtaking everything else for a while. "Logan was supposed to love me, if not now then definitely back then. He knows how much I hate her. He had to know how much this would hurt me."

She took another drink to steady her nerves, to numb the pain and fury some. Weevil copied the action for very different reasons, carefully considering what Veronica had just said before he spoke up.

"Madison Sinclair. I remember her" he said, nodding his head. "She was that blonde bitch at Neptune High. She lost a hubcap once and told the principal I stole it for drug money."

Veronica smiled at his expression when he said it and at how ridiculous the accusation had been, but it didn't last long. Given the topic of conversation, it just couldn't.

"She was awful, probably still is," she said of Madison, getting comfortable on the couch and cradling her drink in two hands like a lifeline. "Years ago, at a party, she spit in her drink and then handed it to me. Of course, she didn't know it had GHB in it. In the morning, after I had no idea what happened to me, I found she'd written slut on the windshield of my car. I hate her."

Weevil couldn't answer at first. For as calm as Veronica was when she told him the tale, he knew she hadn't always been, she couldn't have been. Now Weevil had two people he wished he could knock into next Thursday, and yet he wouldn't lay a hand on either of them, mostly because Veronica wouldn't want that.

"Not exactly a fan myself," he said eventually, "especially now, but she ain't worth it, V, I promise you that," he said definitely, "and neither is Echolls."

Veronica looked his way and smiled more genuinely now. She knew he was right and she loved that he cared, perhaps more now than ever before, though she would have a tough time explaining it to him. Logan wasn't worth it, Weevil was right on that, and Madison was worth even less.

"I know," she said, bumping her shoulder against his own, "but it might be easier to believe if you poor me another drink."

"Your wish is my life," said Weevil with a grin, reaching for the booze.

In the hours that followed, they would empty the bottle, talking about Logan and Madison, even Duncan and Troy, plus a string of Weevil's exes both known and unknown to Veronica before tonight. They veered into other anecdotes about family and friends, adventures of the legal and less than legal variety, and then eventually they both succumbed to the drink and the late hour, falling asleep leaning on each other in the dark, right there on the couch.

 _To Be Continued..._


	4. The Morning After

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, folks :)**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 4 - The Morning After

When Veronica woke, she had a moment of panic, unable to recall where she was or why. As her vision cleared and her head ached, she remembered first the drinking and then her partner in that particular activity. Weevil was a good man, despite his rap sheet and whatever the good people of Neptune might say or think. He had been a real friend when she needed one last night and not for the first time. In all their years of owing each other favours, after this, she was pretty sure she was in debt to him for a good long while.

Shifting her body and meaning to get up from the couch, Veronica hadn't realised that her head was not on a pillow, but on the chest of Eli Navarro himself. In fact, he had his arm around her too, holding her close, keeping her safe. Veronica couldn't help but smile. She probably just had the best sleep she had managed in a while, despite the fact she was more perpendicular than horizontal. Maybe the booze helped, but it wasn't the whole reason, that much she was certain on.

Carefully, even regretfully, Veronica picked up Weevil's arm and removed it from her body, gently slipping out of his grasp and away. She didn't want to wake him, not least because he probably needed the sleep. They had him working like a dog at Hearst most days and Veronica doubted it was the only job Weevil was holding down right now. Besides, if he was awake they might have to talk about how they ended up all snuggly and that would just be awkward. There had definitely been some walking on a very fine line lately for the both of them, between the friends they were and what might've been, what could yet be, Veronica supposed. Now didn't seem like a smart time to think about it.

Reaching into her bag, she grabbed a notepad and pen. Scribbling a quick note, she folded it in half, wrote his initials on the outside, and propped it on the coffee table where Weevil would see it as soon as he woke up. Stepping back, Veronica gave him one last look and then turned to go, silently closing the door behind her as she finally left.

The moment the door clicked shut, Weevil opened his eyes and sighed. He had been awake for a good half hour but just hadn't been able to bear the idea of disturbing Veronica. She was always beautiful, but practically angelic when she slept. He hadn't known that before this morning, of course, though he always suspected.

When she woke up, he had closed his eyes and feigned sleep again, stupidly hoping she might just decide to stay a little longer. Unfortunately, she hadn't. It would've been awkward, Weevil knew that, but they could've handled it. Two friends falling asleep on each other after too much to drink, it didn't have to be a big deal. Of course, with them, it was bound to be, especially after the way their conversations had been going lately.

Weevil had a feeling he was an idiot for ever thinking Veronica wanted him as more than a friend, even though she had admitted to thinking about it in the past. The future was a whole other ballgame, as confirmed to Eli Navarro when he leaned forward and picked up Veronica's note from the table and read it.

' _Eli,  
 _I'm sorry about last night but thank you for everything.  
 _You're the best friend a girl could hope for.  
 _V.'____

"Best friend," he said to himself, rubbing a hand over his face. "You're killin' me, V. You're really killin' me."

* * *

It was ridiculous to play avoidance tactics with such a good friend. After her classes were done for the day, Veronica decided she was going to go find Weevil and that was just that. It was three days now since she woke up from a peaceful sleep with his arm around her and snuck out of his apartment before he woke up. Veronica didn't feel guilty about much, but running away from a good friend without any real explanation and then avoiding him for days afterwards did not make her feel good about herself, that was for sure.

"Hey," she greeted him from the corner of the hallway, making a conscious effort not to tilt her head like she always used to when she was usually after a favour.

"Hey, you sought me out," he said, glancing up from the work he was completing on something electrical that Veronica sure didn't understand. "I was starting to think you were actually avoiding me."

"To borrow a well-known phrase from another blonde, 'As if!'" she declared, grinning as she walked over to him. "I've just been busy with class and I figured you were busy with work."

"Plus, despite what you like to tell people about having no shame or cares in the world, you felt weird about falling asleep on me the other night," he told her smartly.

Veronica realised one more time that of all people it was Weevil that could still cause her to blush on occasion, something very few others ever managed these days.

"Yeah, that was a weird situation," she said, ducking her head and smiling in spite of herself. "Kind of new territory for us."

"Hey, don't sweat it, V," he told her, the moment she dared look at him again. "It's cool. You drank too much, probably we both did. Besides, I take it as a compliment. You don't fall asleep on guys you don't trust."

"That is true." Veronica nodded.

She really hadn't thought of that one, but Weevil made a valid point. Leaning on the wall next to the box he was working on, she sighed.

"So, you been fixing anything real interesting lately?"

Weevil smiled at that.

"You're lousy at small talk, Mars. How about you ask me what I was doing _outside_ of work, because that you might actually want to hear about."

"Ooh, do I really wanna know?" she asked with a look.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," he told her, rolling his eyes. "You remember when I came into your class and told them all how I stole some guy's car and had it crushed?" he said, leaning in closer and speaking in a low voice.

"Sure. Why?"

"Maybe I was thinking of reliving the old days," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

He moved away from the wall and towards a bag of tools lying on a nearby table. Veronica followed him, intrigued as ever, especially when Weevil handed her a scrap of paper. On it was an address she vaguely recognised and the details of a car that she definitely didn't.

"A Mercedes with plates that read 'gotzmine'?" she said, frowning and shaking her head at the same time. "I respect your want to crush that car, but why specifically?"

"Thought it might make you feel better." Weevil shrugged, not even looking at her anymore.

Veronica was at a loss for all of thirty seconds before she put the clues together just like always.

"This is Madison Sinclair's address," she realised, "and Madison Sinclair's car?"

"See, you always were smart."

"Weevil, you're not serious," said Veronica, looking around and hoping that nobody had overheard any part of this conversation.

"You ever known me be a real funny guy?" he checked, giving her a look. "C'mon, V, the bitch has it coming, for all kinds of reasons. We both know Daddy'll just buy her a new car, but I figure it'd make you feel better to see this one cubed at least. Hell, I think it'd make _me_ feel better."

Veronica snickered at that, she couldn't help it. As gestures went, this was a pretty weird one, and yet kind of perfect all the same. Of course, she would like to see Madison Sinclair's precious car crushed. Of course, it would make her feel better about that whole horrible situation.

"I'd say you've done enough favours for me lately," she told Weevil with a sigh, "but is it really a favour if it's something we'd both enjoy?"

She hadn't mean it to come out in quite the way it did, but when she met his eyes, Veronica knew he took it that way. Maybe she meant it that way too, she was having trouble telling these days.

"Say the word, V. I'll get it done."

Veronica had to shake herself, remind herself they were talking about getting a car crushed, because quite honestly the things in her head when he looked at her like that were not appropriate. Of course, she couldn't remember why they weren't appropriate right now since she was single and he was single and they liked and trusted each other well enough. 'Mind on the task at hand, Mars,' she thought then, forcing herself to focus.

"Do it," she said then with a terrible smirk.

"Consider it done," Weevil agreed, grinning right back at her as he raised his fist for her to bump.

Veronica didn't leave him hanging. She never would.

* * *

The case of Bonnie Capistrano's unintentional miscarriage was all very unpleasant. Veronica took no pleasure in uncovering Bonnie's best friend and dorm-mate as the culprit and was glad to be done with the whole sorry situation. At least she had something to look forward to in amongst all the drama. Weevil had called her a few hours before, reminding her that if she wanted to see German engineering reduced to a cube, to come by the yard around two o'clock. She was there with time to spare, not caring that it was raining at all, though her smile was as much for Weevil as for the car waiting to be crushed.

"You actually did it," she said, shaking her head as she walked around the car to join him, umbrella in hand.

"You doubted me?" he checked, faking hurt.

"Never," she promised, moving in closer to keep the rain off of him as well as herself.

"So, we're all set to go as soon as they finish. I even washed it so it'd be shiny when we crush it. I know it doesn't sound logical, but trust me, it's much better."

"I'll take your word on it." Veronica nodded.

She ought to feel guilty, she knew that she did, but Madison so had this coming. Like she told Weevil days before, she wasn't jealous. This really wasn't about Logan anymore. Yes, what he did had hurt her, despite them being broken up at the time it happened and had broken them up all over again when she found out. He did something she knew would cause maximum pain if Veronica ever found out and it was awful knowing someone she had loved would ever want to do that to her. Still, that was all over now and Veronica felt she was adjusting pretty well to life with Logan Echolls, but that didn't mean she was over what Madison had done. She had to have known what she was doing, the pain she would cause, the hurt. She could have any man, Veronica was sure, but Madison had gone after Logan with intent. She had done so many awful things, Veronica felt not a hint of remorse about what she and Weevil were about to do here today.

"You're doin' that thoughtful thing, Mars," he said, nudging her elbow with his own. "Please don't tell me you're backing out now."

"Not a chance," she promised, looping her arm through his own and squeezing. "I only wish I'd've thought of it myself."

"Your devious mind could use a vacation anyway," he told her, smirking some.

The guy operating the crusher came over then, spoke a few words, then started to load the Mercedes into the machine. As far as Weevil could tell, Veronica either forgot she had a hold of his arm, which seemed unlikely, or she liked hanging onto him. Honestly, he had no problem with that whatsoever.

As Madison's car slipped into the crusher, 'gotzmine' plates and all, Veronica sighed. Weevil looked sideways at her and could've sworn he saw a weight lift off her shoulders as the Mercedes was well and truly destroyed. The money he laid out to make this happen, the risk he had taken too, it was all worth it, every cent and every second.

"Thank you for this, Eli," she said then, turning to meet his eyes. "It's what I needed."

"No problem, V," he told her, mirroring her infectious smile.

He wasn't quite ready when she suddenly moved closer, laying her lips on his own, but Weevil wasn't dumb enough to let a chance slide by. His hand moved quickly to the back of her head, holding her there while he kissed her back. The moment didn't last long. When he felt her trying to get away, he let her, despite his dented pride. He wasn't about to push his luck too far.

"Um, okay," said Veronica, seemingly stunned for a moment. "I didn't... I mean, it was a thank you, right? I wasn't... I didn't mean for you to think-"

"Veronica?" he said, shaking his head. "Do me a favour, stop talking," he urged her, turning quickly away.

Before she could stop him, Weevil had turned up his collar and started walking against the rain towards his car, leaving her alone. Veronica sighed and internally cursed herself for being so stupid. So much for feeling better about things.

 _To Be Continued..._


	5. Postgame Review

**A/N: Veronica really needs to fix things with Weevil, huh? Well, don't worry, she's about to ;)**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 5 - Postgame Review

Weevil was not having a good day. Maintenance work was never exactly exciting or fun, but today's to do list seemed to have contained nothing but the worst jobs. After unclogging toilets, cleaning the boiler flue, and chasing raccoons out of the garbage, all he wanted to do was finish his shift, get out of this place, and head home to a shower and some shut-eye. Unfortunately, fate had other plans, or rather a certain annoying blonde did.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said with a groan as he found Veronica sat on the chair right by the Maintenance office. "Not now, V," he told her, trying to disappear through the door before she could stop him.

"Please, Eli, you've got to give me a chance to talk to you," she urged him. "Two minutes, I swear, that's all I need."

The use of his given name was enough to make him stop and take notice and Weevil knew before he ever turned and met those eyes of hers that he would be screwed the moment he did. He was proved right, of course, same as always.

"I gotta be crazy," he muttered to himself, running a hand over his bald head. "What do you want from me, Veronica?"

"I only want you to listen for a minute and hopefully accept my apology," she said fast. "The other day, when I was thanking you for your help-"

"I get it, that's all it was. Are we done?"

"Weevil, come on. Don't do this."

That was when he started to lose his temper just a little bit.

"Oh, it's me that has to stop doin' this?" he checked, a hand to his chest. "That's funny because I thought _you_ was the one messin' with _my_ head, V. I mean, one minute it's like I'm the only one in the world you wanna spend any time with and you're asking me about what might've been and do I ever think about it, then the next it's all, 'Gee, ain't it great bein' best buds.'"

"I know that's how it must seem to you-"

"That ain't how it seems, V," he insisted, not caring that he cut her off or how downcast she looked right now, because he was pissed, damn it. "It's how it is. I'm not being your rebound guy just so you can get over Echolls, and I sure as hell ain't bein' no stand in until you decide to give him another damn chance."

Veronica's eyes shot up to meet his then and even Weevil knew he had made a mistake and gone too far.

"Logan and I are over, for good this time," she told him definitely, "and either way I would never, _ever_ , use you like that."

She meant it and he knew it. It was probably wrong of Weevil to have ever accused her like that, and if today hadn't been such a pile of crap then maybe he wouldn't have done it. Actually, there was a chance he still would, but he couldn't blame all of his feelings on Veronica. Sure, she seemed to be blowing a little hot and cold lately, but he had to admit, he wasn't so clear on how he wanted to play this either, so how was she supposed to know?

"Just forget it, okay?" he said, shaking his head. "I started early this morning and all I really wanna do is go home and shower and sleep."

"I understand." Veronica nodded, though she looked disappointed that he was walking away so soon.

"I forgave you already," said Weevil, in case it wasn't clear. "We're good. What's the problem now?"

When Veronica continued to shift awkwardly in place, looking everywhere but at him, everything clicked into place in Weevil's head. He was wearing a smirk he just couldn't help as he leaned back against the wall and stared at her.

"On top of all this, you want a favour, right? You got some nerve, Mars."

"And it's one of the things you like best about me?" she said hopefully, giving him a winning smile.

"You know it," he said, nodding once. "What is it this time?"

"I'm trying to have a word with whoever's running the PCHers these days," she admitted, "and I was hoping you might be able to hook me up."

Weevil's eyes widened even more at that request than when he first realised she was really about to follow up her apology by asking for a favour.

"Sure thing, V," he said too easily. "Let me just call my parole officer and give him a heads-up I'll be cavorting with known criminals," he told her, rolling his eyes. "In case you forgot, I'm on the straight and narrow now."

"It's official business," Veronica insisted. "And I could probably get you a few hundred bucks."

Weevil closed his eyes a moment and heaved another sigh, but when he faced Veronica again there was a resigned look in his eyes. As if he could ever deny her anything anyway. Weevil wondered why he even bothered to pretend that he could.

* * *

Meeting up with the new leader of the PCHers wasn't exactly a fun date-like activity, but Veronica couldn't mind the extra time spent with Weevil. She needed things to be back on an even keel with him, for them to be friends again. At least, that was what she thought she wanted, until suddenly she was in his company for a period of time that was longer than a minute.

Now, despite probably not even knowing he was doing it, Weevil had her questioning why she was so quick to back off after initiating that kiss the other day. Short as it was, that had been a good kiss and yet the fact he even tried to kiss her back had made her panic in that moment. It had to mean he liked her like that and she was fast realising that she really could like him that way, so what in the hell was stopping her?

As they leaned on their respective cars, waiting on Arturo and his buddies, Veronica came close to saying something about it to Weevil, but never quite got the chance. Business came first as she questioned the bikers about the Coach's death and more specifically his car that they may have jacked. Seems like maybe they didn't, which was strange.

"So, we're done here?" said Weevil, the moment the bikers rode away.

"I guess" said Veronica, before shaking her head in the negative. "No, actually, we're not. Weevil... I'm sorry."

"V, we did this part already," he reminded her, reaching for the handle on the car door.

She deliberately got between him and the door and stopped him leaving.

"We did, but I don't think you get it."

"I get it," he insisted. "Now move your skinny white ass out the way of my car," he told her, almost trying to be menacing but not quite - as if it would've made a difference anyway. "You're sorry you kissed me, so what? I'm a big boy, I'll get over it."

"Don't get over it," she told him, making him stop short of physically moving her aside.

"What?"

"Don't get over it. Don't forget it or pretend it didn't happen," Veronica tried to tell him, meeting his eyes and not allowing herself to back down this time. "Eli, I wasn't... I wasn't apologising for the kiss. I was apologising for being such an idiot after that," she explained. "I've been thinking about this whole thing a lot lately. Well, actually off and on for years, but especially these past couple of weeks," she considered aloud, "it just seems weird after so long of being friends but, well, honestly, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out sometime."

Veronica was actually wincing when she said it, though she hadn't meant for it to seem like she was in pain over asking Weevil the question. It was just so awkward, and besides, she was really putting herself out there right now. If he said no, she was going to be more than a little embarrassed, and if she ruined such a good friendship via this stupid moment, she would just-

"Are you seriously asking me out on a date?" asked Weevil, wide eyed and amazed apparently.

That was okay by Veronica. She could handle amazed. At least he wasn't laughing or looking like he wanted to heave at the very idea of dating her.

"Pretty much, yeah," she said in a small voice that even she didn't recognise as her own.

Weevil slowly nodded his head and leaned back against his car.

"So, that means you're paying, right?" he asked very seriously, before that old familiar smile broke through.

Veronica bust up laughing, she just couldn't help it.

"I was trying to be serious," she told him, her hand to her forehead. "I wish it were working, but apparently, not so much."

"It kinda worked," Weevil assured her, though he still hadn't put her out of her misery by answering the question.

"So?" she prompted.

"So, the answer's no," he told her, barely waiting a beat before he continued. "I mean, what kind of guy do you think lets a chica take him out on a date?"

"A progressive one?"

"Wrong answer." Weevil shook his head definitely, pushing off the car and getting very much in her personal space. "You want to go out, V, you say the word and I'll take you."

Looking up into those dark eyes of his after he just said that to her and Veronica had never felt so much like a girly little woman. She wouldn't like that with anybody else, but with Weevil, it wasn't so bad.

"I want to," she said, nodding her head.

"Then we'll do it," he told her, smiling easily. "Friday work for you? I can pick you up from your house, say, seven?"

"Sounds good," she agreed easily.

"Yeah, I think so too," he told her.

There was a moment when she was sure he was going to make some kind of move. Honest truth was that Veronica actually wanted him to. The memory of kissing him before, of how good it felt when he kissed back, she wanted more of that and she wanted it now. She had a feeling Weevil knew it too and it was why he turned around and got into his car to leave wearing a smile that bordered on a smirk.

"I'll see you Friday," he said, starting up the engine.

"You will," she agreed, grinning as she watched him drive away.

Veronica had a strange feeling that smile she was wearing was going nowhere for quite a while.

* * *

"So, big date tonight, huh?" said Mac, elbowing Veronica in the ribs as they walked down the hall together. "You figure out what you're going to wear?"

"Kind of." Veronica laughed. "God, how is it you are more excited about this date than I am?"

"Oh, come on! You've had precisely two topics of conversation for the past three days," said Mac definitely, raising her hand to count off the two items on her fingers. "One, Josh Barry's case, and two, your impending date with Weevil Navarro."

"Yeah, well, I'm way less happy about the Josh situation than the Weevil situation." Veronica sighed. "Unfortunately, there's very little I can do about the Sheriff holding him right now. The best I could manage was taking him cookies to keep his morale up."

"She dates, she bakes, and she aces criminology," said Mac, shaking her head. "Is there anything you can't do, Veronica Mars?"

"Juggle swords whilst eating fire?" she suggested. "But I'm sure I can squeeze in a few lessons between classes."

"Naturally," Mac agreed, laughing because she just couldn't help it. "I want all the details about that date first thing in the morning!" she insisted, leaving Veronica at the door to her criminology class and continuing on to Computer Programming.

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell, Mac!" Veronica called after her.

"Good thing neither one of us is a lady!"

Veronica was grinning like an idiot as she went into class. It was kind of cool knowing she had a date tonight, plus a girl friend to give the details to tomorrow. If she could just crack Josh's case then everything would be coming up roses this week, at least, Veronica thought so. She soon changed her mind when Sheriff Lamb suddenly crashed Professor Landry's class, putting Veronica herself in handcuffs and charging her with aiding and abetting in the escape of Josh Barry. That sure wiped the smile off Veronica's face.

 _To Be Continued..._


	6. Either Side of the Bars

**A/N: The first Veronica/Weevil scene in this chapter has been in my head since before I started writing the story and is part of the reason I wanted to write it at all ;)**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 6 - Either Side of the Bars

A jail cell was not where Veronica Mars had planned on spending any Friday night, but especially not this one. So much for her first date with Weevil, instead she was at the mercy of Sherriff Lamb's whims, sitting on her ass in Balboa County's holding cell with nothing to do but wait.

So far, she had been questioned by Lamb (badly), visited by her dad twice, complete with accusations of her both helping Josh escape on purpose and bugging Professor Landry's phone, and now she was just idling.

Checking her watch, she realised it was almost seven. Right now, she should be waiting by the front window to see a car pull up and take her out to dinner, wondering how exactly she was going to slip out without her dad asking too many questions about the guy she was dating these days.

It wasn't as if Keith was exactly a fan of Logan either, but Veronica had a feeling her ex had fared better than Weevil was likely to when it came to the dad test. An ex-con, ex-gang leader, complete with tattoos and attitude. Veronica would wonder at her own sanity if she didn't know Eli Navarro was not exactly how he appeared on paper. He was a whole lot more than his rap sheet and his rep, she knew that for sure.

The next check of her watch showed 7:05 and Veronica sighed. If only she could've had _two_ phone calls when they hauled her ass into the station. The only one she got had to be used to call her father, but she really had hoped to get the chance to talk to Weevil too. There was no way for her to get a message to him, not without passing it through her dad, and that just was not going to happen. She could only hope that gossip travelled as fast around Hearst as everywhere else in Neptune so that Weevil might've heard about her arrest through the grapevine. Otherwise, she was running the risk of him showing up at her house any time now and confusing Keith to no end. Veronica covered her face with her hands when she realised how badly that conversation could go.

"You should really keep your eyes open in jail."

She almost thought she had imagined his voice, just conjured it up in her head on the verge of exhausted sleep, but no. Veronica peeked through her fingers, a smile spreading over her lips as she realised he really was there.

"This makes a change, huh?" said Weevil, arms folded across his chest as he smirked at her. "You on that side of the bars, me on this?"

"As parallel universes go, it's not my favourite," said Veronica, hopping up from the bunk and facing him. "You're running late," she said, checking her watch and quirking an eyebrow.

"I figured you weren't going anywhere." Weevil shrugged then glanced over his shoulder.

The deputy had actually left them alone, which Veronica found both strange and lucky. Chances were good it was Sachs on shift and he was doing her a favour. He was a good guy in a den of idiots and evil-doers.

"What some women won't do to get out of a date."

"Hey, I was the one who asked you in the first place, remember?"

"I remember."

They both moved forward as they spoke, now as close as they had ever been, save for the bars between them. Veronica hadn't realised how disappointed she was about missing their date until now. He looked good. The truth was that Weevil usually did, Hearst Maintenance uniform and the general dirt that went with it notwithstanding, of course, but tonight he had actually made an effort. Clearly, he hadn't known their date was a bust until more or less the last minute.

"Why is there always something in the way of this happening?" asked Veronica, hardly aware she had said it out loud until she noticed the look on his face.

"You think somebody up there is tryin' to tell us something, V?"

"I really hope not," she told him honestly. "You know, I always thought it sucked having to see you in here."

"Worse being on the inside yourself, huh?"

"Oh, yeah." Veronica sighed heavily. "Especially now you're out there."

She knew what she was doing, they were both very well aware actually. Flirting was practically the currency they traded in most of the time, but it had never been serious before. What should've been the usual banter meant that much more right now, partly because they were supposed to be on a date tonight, maybe more so because they were either side of the jail cell bars. The metaphor wasn't lost on either of them - so near and yet so far.

"Damn, Mars," he said, shaking his head. "You got a way of making me wanna do something real stupid right now just to get myself thrown in there with you."

"That might be nice," she told him, smiling salaciously for a moment before her good sense caught up to her. "But seriously, Eli, don't do anything dumb, please."

"I could knock Lamb into next Thursday for puttin' you in here," he told her, serious as she was now. "You pulled a lot of stunts in your time, V, but you ain't dumb enough to do this."

"Thank you." Veronica smiled. "I had trouble even convincing my dad for a while there. Josh is innocent, I'm almost certain, and I'd love to have the chance to prove it, but I did not deliberately aide his escape."

"Anything I can do to help prove that? I mean, I don't have your Nancy Drew ways, but I got skills of my own."

"I know you do," said Veronica, trying not to let her words take on any more meaning than they should. "Honestly, I've got my dad and Cliff working the angles. They should have me out by morning and then I'll deal with Josh Barry myself. I'm just sorry that our date is a non-event because of all this," she said sadly, slamming her hands against the bars.

"Hey, it's not never gonna happen. We'll take a rain check, and when you get your skinny ass bust out of jail, we'll make it happen."

Something about the way he said those last few words sounded way more than a date that involved going to dinner or similar. It was weird how no part of 'making it happen' with Weevil seemed wrong anymore inside of Veronica's head. For the longest time, she had convinced herself it would be. If not wrong then definitely unlikely, irrational, ridiculous, or stupid. It was so strange how things could change when you decided to let them.

"Um, how did you even know I was here?" she asked then, shaking her head clear of Eli-induced fogginess.

"Your boy Wallace heard what went down in your class, he told Mac, and she seemed to be the one who knew where you were really supposed to be tonight."

"I may have mentioned our plans." Veronica nodded.

"Yeah, well, she's not a bad friend to have. Tried finding me at the maintainence office but I already left. Somehow, and I don't wanna know how, she tracked down my home address and came to find me."

"I owe her a big fruit basket for that one." Veronica grinned. "No offence, but I didn't get around to explaining this," she said, gesturing vaguely between them, "to my dad yet. I was just lying in here hoping you and he hadn't met on the doorstep of my house in some awfully awkward moment."

She really hoped he wouldn't mind too much hearing that her dad wouldn't be thrilled they were dating. Certainly, he shouldn't be surprised. When he shrugged like it was no big deal, Veronica was relieved, and not willing to delve any deeper into the consequences that may yet come later.

"Anyway, I should probably make a move," said Weevil then, glancing back over his shoulder once more. "They're gonna think I'm in here giving you tips on escapin' or something."

"You got any of those before you go?" she asked hopefully, only half-joking.

Weevil smirked. "Yeah, there's this chica I call that always helps me out of a jam."

"Really? She any good?"

"She's... a lot of things" he said, smirking still as he leaned as close as possible into the bars, "Pretty amazing most of the time... and damn hot too."

Veronica felt a blush rising in her cheeks, half from the compliments, half from the closeness. 'If not for these bars,' she thought, wondering if they were better off having them there right now, otherwise she might be doing something pretty crazy.

"Eli..."

Before Veronica had a chance to say anymore, or even wonder when her voice got so soft, the door swung open and Lamb strolled in with Sachs on his heels.

"Conjugal visit is over," the sheriff barked on seeing how close Veronica and Weevil really were.

"What's the matter, Don?" asked Veronica smartly. "Jealous?"

Weevil covered his smirk with his hand and backed up a couple of steps from the jail cell.

"Don't let the man get you down, V," he told her with a wink. "I'll be seeing you."

"Count on it," she promised as she watched him go, one more sigh escaping her lips.

Now she really, _really_ couldn't wait to be out of jail!

* * *

As cases went, Coach Barry's death was a strange one. When Veronica got out of the sheriff's station, she was in two minds whether to try to find Josh or steer clear and let her dad do what he did best. She didn't get much chance to seriously consider her choices when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Logan?"

She was sure she looked as shocked as she sounded when she turned around and found him rushing from his car to her side.

"Hey," he greeted her with a smile that seemed forced somehow. "I, er... well, I heard you were locked up. I just came by to see if you were okay, if you needed anything, you know?"

Veronica blinked at him then shook her head.

"Um, I'm fine," she promised. "I just got out. You didn't have to come here, I mean-"

"I know things are weird with us right now," he told her, looking as awkward as she felt. "I just... I want us to be friends, Veronica. I don't want to completely lose you from my life. After everything... With everybody else I already lost, one way or the other, I really wouldn't want to lose you."

Logan's eyes were to the ground as he shifted in place. Veronica knew exactly how he felt because she actually felt much the same. As much as it hurt when he dumped her, as angry as she had been when she learnt he slept with Madison before, she could never really hate Logan, and cutting him out of her life completely did seem like an awful waste.

"Logan, I don't know... I guess we could be friends, in time," she said hopefully. "I'd like to, it's just..."

"Going to take a little time." Logan nodded in understanding, that familiar smile playing at his lips. "Well, so long as you're doing okay?"

"I'm doing okay," she promised, smiling back at him. "Just need to catch up with some people, get this case solved, since it seems like the Sheriff is chasing shadows... again."

"Situation normal, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," Veronica agreed, smiling genuinely. "I'll see you around, Logan," she said, moving towards the car where Cliff was waiting to drive her home.

He gave her a salute-like wave as he turned to walk back to his own vehicle. Veronica let out a long breath, running a hand over her hair. That had been a very weird moment, but she was glad they had it. Now she didn't have to worry about it happening anymore - it was done. She didn't hate Logan, he didn't hate her. They had been through a lot, apart and together, but it was done now. All the drama of their romance was over and they could move forward in some kind of friendship, she hoped.

In the meantime, Veronica needed to find Josh and straighten out this mess regarding his father. Then and only then would she be able to concentrate on better things, like rearranging her date with Weevil.

* * *

It turned out to be a rough couple of days. Veronica sat at her desk contemplating how she had gotten from there to here and it seemed more than a little crazy. Josh's escape, her arrest, Mason's disappearance, Josh's reappearance, and then the evidence in the security deposit box that had explained everything. Coach Barry hadn't been murdered or mugged or attacked, he had committed suicide to prevent his family having to deal with the disease that would rob him of any kind of life and ultimately kill him, and now Josh and his mom had to keep the truth quiet so that the insurance would pay out.

It was a real mess, and one that Veronica almost wished she wasn't aware of. Add to that the drama of the Sheriff being attacked by Steve Batando and left for dead, it had been a real messy couple of days, all told.

"Knock, knock?" said a voice from the door.

Veronica found a smile for Weevil when she looked up and saw him there.

"Hey, stranger," she greeted him happily, only feeling nervous when he drew closer to her desk and she recalled the last time they talked, when the jail cell bars between them were the only thing preventing something happening.

"Hey, I'm not the one who disappeared into a stack of case files the last couple of days," he reminded her. "You get everything figured out?"

"We did, eventually," she said, with a pointed look and a tilt of her head towards her dad's office. "Just a sec," she added more quietly, getting up to pull Keith's door from ajar to closed. "He's taking a call."

"Right. So, one of Lamb's lackeys came by to pick up the Dean's computer the other day. You know about that?"

"I do." Veronica nodded, sitting on the edge of the desk near to Weevil rather than back in her chair. "They suspected Mindy O'Dell's ex-husband, his prints were all over the keyboard, but it doesn't stack up. Everything points to Mindy or Landry but-"

"But you don't want it to be your professor?"

"Not really." Veronica sighed, dragging a hand back through her hair. "And sometimes, I just wish my life didn't always have to be about who the murderer is, you know?"

Weevil nodded that he understood, because he really did. He was there for Lilly's murder and went through much of the pain and drama that Veronica had, albeit in a different way. Since then, it just seemed to be one thing after another for the both of them. It made a person tired, feeling older than they should at their young age. Veronica looked like she was really feeling the strain today.

"Hey, you don't gotta have all the answers all the time, V," he reminded her, his hand at her shoulder. "Your dad is the detective. I know you got skills, girl, but... well, not to sound like your ex, but you gotta be careful getting mixed up in this stuff."

"I know," she agreed, putting her hand on top of his at her shoulder. "Trust me, I'm being careful, always, and if I ever find myself in any trouble, I know who to call," she assured him with a smile. "Of course, if I was looking to get _into_ trouble," she said, hopping down off the edge of the desk, very much into his personal space, "I guess I could call the same guy."

Her moving had caused his arm to slide around her back more by accident than design, but he didn't move it and she didn't seem eager for him to.

"You're dangerous, Mars," he told her. "You know that, don't you?"

"If I don't, then I'm clearly not paying attention."

She was the best and worst kind of temptation all at once and Weevil knew he was a fool if he didn't just make a move already. He was within an inch of kissing her when Keith called his daughter's name and the office door came flying open.

Veronica and Weevil flew apart like shrapnel, half a second before Keith walked out.

"Honey, I... Oh. Hello, Eli," said Keith, looking from one to the other.

"Sheriff." Weevil nodded politely, hands very definitely in his pockets by now.

"Strange that you should use that title for me today," said Keith, shaking his head, before he looked back at Veronica. "The County Commissioner was asking me if I might be available to stand in as acting Sheriff for a while. Honey, Don Lamb is dead."

 _To Be Continued..._


	7. Papa Don't Preach

**A/N: Apologies for the delay in updates - got distracted - but I'm back now and from here on out updates should be more regular :)**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 7 - Papa Don't Preach

Veronica wasn't sure if it made it easier or harder to talk to her dad about her love life now that he was Sheriff again. She would like to think her solving the Dean's murder would make her such an exceptional daughter than anything she said would be okay with her father, and yet, bringing up the subject still seemed tough.

It wasn't as if her dad had approved of any boyfriend she ever brought home. Troy was duly investigated, and rightly so as it turned out, while Logan had a rep known the town over. Duncan could've been Veronica's own half-brother for a while there and was part of the Kane family no matter what, which put Keith's back up from the get go. Leo had been a little more popular with Veronica's dad, but the age difference was mentioned, _a lot_. Now there was Weevil, and Veronica really wasn't sure what to think about her father's potential reaction to the news.

She wasn't a kid anymore. Veronica wasn't sure she could be classed as one for quite some time, definitely not since Lilly died. Still, she was well aware that to a parent, perhaps especially to a single father, a daughter was a precious baby no matter their age.

"Yeah, because that'll make it easier," she said, staring into the mirror on the wall of her room. "Dad, I have a date this weekend with this guy," she rehearsed into the glass. "You actually know him already. In fact, you've arrested him before now."

Veronica's forehead hit the mirror with a dull thud and she took a deep breath before straightening up and starting over.

"Dad, there'll be a guy calling for me Friday night. It's Weevil. It's Eli Navarro," she tried instead, frowning hard when she realised neither one was going to change her dad's reaction.

Growling with frustration she crossed to her bed, picking up the phone and flinging herself down onto the mattress as she speed-dialled.

"Help me, Mac-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope," she said the moment her friend picked up.

"Veronica? What's up? You're not in jail again, are you?"

"My father is the sheriff right now, so that would be a no. Although, this whole mess does have to do with my dad," she explained, keeping her voice low. "I have to tell him about Weevil and I don't even know where to start."

"Veronica, it's not like you're a high school kid anymore. You're nineteen, a college student, a young woman. Technically, you don't even have to tell him you're dating at all. You think my parents know about Bronson?"

"Apparently not." Veronica sighed. "But this is different. It's me and my dad. We tell each other stuff, it's just how it's always been. Obviously, there are details he doesn't need and I don't share those, but to not tell him about a significant relationship in my life? It feels wrong."

"Significant?" Mac echoed. "Wow. That escalated quickly."

"Really? Because it feels like it's taking forever to escalate anywhere," Veronica complained, pulling herself upright on her bed and crossing her legs lotus style. "All the time I wasted trying to get up the nerve to ask him out, finally it happens, he says yes, date arranged, and then I land up in jail."

"Well, it makes a change from Weevil landing himself there," said Mac thoughtfully. "Sorry," she apologised the very next second.

Veronica laughed. "It's fine. It's not like you're wrong," she admitted. "That's part of the problem when it comes to telling my dad. Of all the people I could be dating, he is not going to take an ex-con so well."

"Maybe emphasise the _ex_ part of _ex_ -con?" Mac suggested, clearly clutching at straws and they both knew it. "C'mon, Veronica, your dad is cool. I think once the initial shock wears off, he'll probably be okay about it. He doesn't strike me as the type to judge on the past like that. Weevil never did anything to him personally and he's never hurt you, right?"

"Never," she agreed. "Ugh. I just need to pony up and do this, don't I?"

"Sounds like a plan" Mac agreed. "Sorry, but I have to go now. Class waits for no woman. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Veronica assured her. "Thanks Mac. I think I'm ready now for when my dad gets home. Got my big girl breeches on, I can do this."

They hung up from their call a moment later and Veronica took a deep breath. She checked the clock. Chance's were good her dad wouldn't be home for at least another hour, but now she was all geared up for this, she kind of wished she didn't have to wait. She supposed she could go down to the sheriff's station and surprise him, but that didn't seem like the right place for this kind of conversation. She was still contemplating it when there was a knock on the front door.

Moving through the apartment to see who was there, she got a real shock when she found Tim Foyle on the doorstep.

"What the frak are you doing here?" she asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"As much as it pains me to admit this, I need your help, Veronica," he said sadly. "Your father has arrested Hank Landry for the Dean's murder. We need to find his alibi."

* * *

Weevil was beyond tired. Everything at work had just been uphill lately and when he finally got home and tried to sleep, Veronica Mars haunted his dreams, making him feel like he had no rest at all, even after eight hours solid sleep. It wasn't her fault exactly. She had been making it pretty clear lately just how close she planned on getting to him, but that only made it worse when nothing happened. Up to now, they hadn't even made it out to dinner yet, and Veronica was definitely enough of a lady to deserve a real date before anything else happened. Of course, inside of his own gutter-like mind, they had got way beyond that already. Weevil wasn't proud of it, but it was just the way it was.

Of course, it wasn't all about that side of things. With Veronica, it never could be. Other women had only been good for the one thing and Weevil didn't feel bad about that because they were using him just the same. Him and V, they went way back. Sure, in real terms, it had only been a couple of years, but the actual days on the calendar didn't matter much. They knew each other, they had this weird connection that neither one had the words to explain, but for so long Weevil had been convinced she wouldn't touch him with somebody else's ten-foot pole, not that way. Lately, she had started to make it clear she was seeing him in a new way, the way he had been seeing her, on some level, from almost the very beginning.

The phone rang on the table by the couch and Weevil reached to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you," she said in his ear.

"Think of the devil," he muttered, smiling even then. "What's up, V? You callin' to tell me you gotta cancel this date of ours for a second time? What is it this time? Jail again? A real urgent case? You gotta stay home and count your decoder rings?"

"And to think I called to let you know how much I was looking forward to Friday night," she said, tsking at him. "Now it sounds as if maybe _you_ 're trying to find a way to get out of it."

"Not a chance," he promised her. "You better be ready for this night, Mars, because it is happening this time."

"I really hope so," she replied, with a smile he could just hear. "It's been a real long day of chasing shadows with a sidekick that does not do me justice. I just needed to hear your voice, make sure this date I've been looking forward to is still actually going to happen."

"You got my word, V. If you're still up for this thing, I'm there. No question."

"That's all I needed to hear," she said, sighing in his ear. "Whatcha doin' right now?"

"Nothin' much. Don't get a big head okay, but I was actually sittin' here thinking about you... and about Friday."

"Really? Well, that's nice."

She sounded half-asleep, and somehow it was both the sweetest thing Weevil had ever heard and the sexiest too as her voice got softer in his ear.

"You know I would've come over but it was so far and, like I said, looong day."

"Don't sweat it, V. Just get some shut-eye before Friday, okay?"

"You think I need beauty sleep, Mr Navarro?"

"You think that then you're even crazier than I thought."

She sighed in his ear again.

"I knew calling you was a good idea. Sweet dreams, Eli."

"Yeah, you too, V."

He waited until she hung up and then did the same himself. Friday really couldn't come fast enough and Weevil seriously hoped nothing got in the way this time. Of course, now he was even more sure than ever that he wasn't getting a good night's rest tonight, but it was one hell of a way to lose sleep. He really couldn't find a way to complain about it.

* * *

Veronica sighed as she sat down heavily on the couch.

"You okay there, honey?" Keith asked her from the kitchen where he was finishing off making dinner. "That was a big sigh for a remarkable young woman who helped catch a killer this week."

"I am not unhappy about that part of my week" Veronica insisted, finding a smile for her father. "Knowing Tim is going to get his just desserts makes me very happy, believe me. It is still sad about Mrs O'Dell though, and about Professor Landry."

"Yeah, that was one hell of a mess," said Keith sadly, shaking his head, "but you did good, kid. You're number one daughter in this family right now."

She laughed at his lame joke, pulling herself up from her seat and wandering over to the counter, taking a stool there instead. She really did need to talk to her dad about Weevil and now might be the best opportunity she was going to get. He just said himself she was number one daughter, and though of course she was his only daughter, he was still all kinds of proud of her after the way she figured out Tim killed the Dean. Of course, that didn't guarantee that he would be happy to hear that Veronica planned to date a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, but she had to tell him, she couldn't live with the secrecy of not.

"Dad?"

"Veronica?" he replied in kind, curious about the odd look on her face and tone in her voice. "Something you wanna tell me, honey?"

"Kind of, yeah," she admitted, looking down at her hands as she chipped off the last piece of polish from her pointer finger. "So, me and Logan have been broken up a while now. In fact, he talked to me today about how he has a new girlfriend. It's Parker, Mac's roommate."

"And you're okay with that?" Keith checked, knowing as he did how close Veronica and Logan had been before.

"I honestly am." Veronica smiled. "I wasn't sure if I would be and, don't get me wrong, it is a little strange seeing them together, but we don't work, Logan and me. We love each other, I think we always will on some level, but as a couple? It's not meant to be. It just never works."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," said Keith, patting her hand. "You know I only ever want you to be happy. As much as Logan has his problems, I know you cared about him a lot. I wanted it to work out if you did."

"Thanks, Pops," she said, smiling up at him, "but the truth is, well, there's another guy in my life right now. A guy that I'm going on a first date with this Friday."

"Anyone I know?" asked Keith, serving food onto the plates a then turning to put the pan into the sink.

"Actually yes," said Veronica, taking a deep breath." It's, er... it's Weevil."

Even though he had his back to her, she knew her dad had definitely heard what she said from the way the pan went clattering into the sink from a great height. She hardly dare breathe until finally Keith turned to face her again, wearing a look that was half shock, half disbelief.

"You're kidding?"

"Not kidding," Veronica confirmed.

"Okay. My daughter - the sensible, fairly well-adjusted given the circumstances, intelligent young college woman - is going on a date with a convicted criminal, head of a biker gang-"

" _Former_ criminal," Veronica corrected, "and _former_ head of a biker gang. All in the past."

"Oh, well, then that makes it okay," said Keith, sitting down hard on a stool and rubbing a hand over his head that was clearly starting to ache. "Veronica, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that Eli Navarro is a nice guy, or at least, nice to me. I know he's done wrong in his past, but I'm no angel either. He's always there for me, Dad. He makes me laugh, he's a really great friend, and not wanting to freak you out too much, but he's really hot too."

"Oh, God!" Keith declared, putting his face in his hands.

"I'm not trying to make this weird for you, and I knew when I started this conversation it probably wasn't going to end with your approval, but I'm doing this, Dad. I want to go on this date with Weevil, and maybe it'll work out with us and maybe it won't, but I can't lie to you or keep secrets from you. I won't do it."

Veronica waited a few beats and finally Keith looked across at her, sighing heavily.

"I guess I should be grateful that you're telling me," he admitted, "and it's not like you'd let any guy take advantage of you or anything, I raised you better than that."

"Weevil is not the type to try," she insisted, "but you're right, even if he were, I'm smart enough and strong enough to take care of myself. You know this. You made sure of it."

Keith nodded his agreement, getting up from his seat and encouraging Veronica to do the same. They met at the end of the counter and shared a big hug.

"I am glad you told me," he admitted, rubbing her back. "I probably didn't look it, but I am."

"I needed to tell you," Veronica told him, hugging him back. "I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, Veronica," he promised, squeezing her still, almost wishing he never had to let her go.

Unfortunately, kids always grew up and they did what they wanted because that was their right. No, Keith Mars was not thrilled to have his daughter date Eli Navarro, but he would deal with it. It seemed as if he was going to have to!

 _To Be Continued..._


	8. American Heartbeat

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 8 - American Heartbeat

Even though Keith knew about Veronica's first date with Weevil and claimed to be okay with it, she noticed he made a point of being in the living room when Eli arrived and making sure he got the door. Veronica had hoped rather than believed that he wouldn't say anything embarrassing. For once, hope won out.

"I think you get bonus points with my dad for always calling him Sherriff, even when he wasn't actually in the job."

"Hey, it's not a suck up move, V. He never should've got kicked out," said Weevil definitely as they got out of the car outside a decent looking eatery.

"Well, I think it helped. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're kind of the poster boy for guys you _can't_ bring home to your parents," she said with a smile.

"My mission in life is complete," said Weevil with a wicked smirk.

He reached out a hand to Veronica and she took it as she stepped up on the kerb beside him. She expected to be led into the restaurant, but instead, Eli pulled her close and picked up her other hand too.

"You know, V, I'm not stupid. I know what I am and what I've done... What I'm sayin' is, I ain't anybody's dream date," he told her, shaking his head, "but you and me, it's been in my head a while. You want this, I'm in for the whole ride. There's not a part of me that ever wants to hurt you."

Veronica didn't have words for at least a minute after that little speech. There was a lump in her throat and even tears trying to well in her eyes. On top of everything else, if he could say things like that to her when he had a mind to, that was kind of amazing.

"And you say you're not a dream date," she said eventually. "You've got a lot to learn about women, Eli Navarro," she told him, smiling then.

"You're gonna teach me, huh?"

"That's the plan," she agreed, reaching up to kiss him softly on the lips. "Now, feed me, vato. Pretty words are only gonna get you so far."

With a grin on his face that he had a feeling wasn't shifting any time soon, Weevil flung an arm around her shoulders and led her into the restaurant. Veronica could hardly keep from smiling herself, especially when she realised they were at this particular restaurant with a purpose. Weevil knew people who worked here. Not the boss, as far as she could tell, but a barman and a waiter both tipped him a wink as they walked through and found themselves a secluded table for their date.

"You have connections," she said suspiciously.

"Ain't just your rich boys that do." Weevil shrugged, immediately regretting his words when he saw Veronica's smile slide a little. "Sorry."

"No big deal," she assured him. "Look, you're not the first guy I've dated and I'm damn sure I'm not the first girl you ever took out, so it's fine. Actually, let's get this out of the way right now, Logan actually has a new girlfriend already."

"I thought I saw him with his arm around some chick yesterday. The blonde that lives with Mac, right?"

"Her name is Parker, and yes, she is Mac's dorm-mate. She's actually a really nice person and as weird as it seems, even to me, I'm actually really happy that Logan has moved on. It makes it easier for me," she explained. "I mean, I don't owe him anything, he broke up with me, after all, but... well, I'm not out to hurt him. I didn't want him to find out about you and me and feel like I moved on too fast or whatever. Now I don't have to worry."

Weevil just nodded his head, not willing to say anything in response to that. He never liked Logan Echolls, for a whole bunch of reasons, but he also respected the fact that Veronica loved him. She didn't want to hurt him and she felt good knowing she wasn't. Personally, Weevil couldn't care less if Echolls was in agony over Veronica moving on, but he wasn't about to say that. Besides, Veronica was sharp enough, she had to know that already.

"So, do I need to look at this menu," asked Veronica, picking it up and idly turning the pages, "or do you already have something special fixed up with your people behind the scenes?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"You pick out whatever you want," Weevil told her. "You ain't wrong that I know some of the guys here, but they ain't the boss so they don't have that kinda pull."

"But there's something going on," she countered, wondering why Weevil looked quite this shifty about it. "Eli?"

"They're cutting me a deal, okay?" he said, clearly annoyed that she had forced him to admit it. "I ain't exactly rich, V, so if I wanna take you to a decent place like this, it's gotta be somewhere I know people."

Now she understood and she felt bad for pushing. No guy wanted to admit he had to pick a restaurant for a first date based on the discount he could acquire. That never sounded classy, but Veronica really didn't care at all. It wasn't like she could afford five-star prices either. She reached across the table and put her hand on top of Weevil's own.

"Hey, you could've taken me to the drive-thru at a burger joint and bought me a milkshake, I wouldn't care," she promised him. "I'm not here for fancy food. I'm here for you."

When he met her eyes, he knew she meant it, not that he ever doubted Veronica Mars. She might tell a few white lies to get her way sometimes, but with him, she was honest, he was pretty sure on that, now more than ever actually.

"You've got style, Mars," he told her, "which is probably why I can't quite figure why you wanna be here with me."

"That's because you're not sitting where I'm sitting," she said with a teasing tone and expression.

"I was tryin' to be serious." Weevil rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Eli, you don't think we have enough serious in our lives already?" she asked him, shaking her head. "Tonight is supposed to be fun, right? So, let's do the fun thing, at least for now. Serious can wait until later."

She looked back at her menu then and though Weevil meant to do the same, he couldn't quite tear his gaze from her yet. Veronica Mars was like no other woman he ever knew. She was cute as anything one second and sexy as hell the next. He loved every side to her, every part of her personality, every little thing about her. Even the parts that drove him crazy, he loved them all. He loved her, he'd known it for a long time, but she was right, this was supposed to be a first date, as insane as that seemed for two people who knew each other as well as they already did.

"Okay," she said suddenly, cutting into his train of thought. "I'm thinking the lasagne cannot be as good as Mama Leone's and I can't even stand to compare it, so... hmm, will you still think I'm cool if I get spaghetti and end up wearing half of it?" she asked, staring across the table at Weevil, all fluttering eyelashes and innocent fun.

"You know it," he told her, smiling because he just couldn't help it.

"Cool. Spaghetti it is," said Veronica happily. "And I will be eating my body weight in tiramisu for dessert because honestly, who wouldn't want to do that?"

Weevil didn't know how to answer any of what she was saying because it all sounded a little off actually. He had to wonder if Veronica was as nervous as he was, she seemed like she might be, but to ask would be admitting his own fear, and that was something Weevil Navarro would never do.

"If I start rambling like a crazy person, feel free to tell me," she said then, as if she read his mind. "As much as I don't want it to, this still feels kind of weird."

"Not exactly normal to be on a first date with somebody you know this well," he agreed.

"Yes, that is the weird factor," she declared, her arms dropping down onto the edge of the table with a clatter. "How do we get rid of that?"

"We stop pretending like this is a big deal?" Weevil suggested. "Come on, V, we've hung out a hundred times before and it was fine. So, let's stop acting like we're two different people, okay? We're still you and me, we're just doing something we never did before, but there's no pressure, right?"

"Right," she agreed, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Just you and me. Okay, I think we got this."

"I hope so," Weevil muttered just as the waiter came over to take their order.

That part they managed without incident at least.

"You know, next time, we should go to Babylon Gardens," said Veronica as the waiter walked away. "You know, the Middle Eastern place downtown? They kind of owe me a favour so I could be the one to get us a deal for date number two."

"Date number two, huh?" said Weevil, tilting his head and smiling some as he looked at her. "I didn't realise I asked for a second date."

"Well, originally, you didn't ask for a first date either, but..." Veronica countered, smirking hard as she sipped her water.

"You ever once not get what you want, V?"

Her response to that question was almost a spit-take, though thankfully Veronica had just a little more self-control than that.

"Oh, you have no idea how many times I have definitely _not_ gotten what I wanted," she said, trying to wipe water from her chin without making a big deal out of it. "But tonight definitely goes in the column of successes."

"So far, so good," Weevil agreed.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied with a smile.

Sure, it started out a little awkward and it did feel strange to be dating Weevil, but Veronica wouldn't want to change anything about this moment. Somehow, she just knew this was going to work out really well.

* * *

It was still early when Veronica and Weevil got done with dinner, and it was her idea that he not take her straight home yet. Walking around the streets of Neptune for too long, especially in that particular neck of the woods, did not seem like a solid plan and there was nothing showing at the movie theatre that either of them wanted to see. Options for activities were a little limited, but Veronica wasn't done enjoying her date yet.

"We could go back to your place for a while?" she suggested. "You have that nice comfy couch and some coffee, right?"

"Sure," Weevil agreed as they came back down the street towards his car.

He was trying not to think too much about the dreams he had been having lately that involved taking Veronica back to his place. She seemed to think they were going to drink coffee and talk, which was actually fine with him, but Weevil couldn't help the other ideas that crowded into his mind, even as he opened the passenger door like a gentleman. The pictures in his mind were not gentlemanly at all, especially when Veronica planted a quick kiss on his lips before she slid into the car.

"Is it bad that I still miss the bike?" she asked as he joined her.

"You and me both, V," he told her, shaking his head. "Four wheels are fine, but it ain't the same."

"True dat," Veronica agreed. "Of course, the bike didn't have a radio," she noted, leaning forward to turn on some music.

Weevil didn't care what station she selected, he was barley paying attention anyway as he drove them back to his apartment. Still, it was tough not to notice the way Veronica was humming along to the songs she liked on the journey home, her head leaned back against the seat and her fingers drumming the rhythm on her knees. He stopped at a red light and dared to glance her way, reminded once again how beautiful she really was. There was a large part of Eli Navarro that still couldn't believe all this was real.

"Weevil?" she prompted, catching him staring. "The light changed," she told him.

Shaking his head, he put his eyes back on the road and drove on.

Veronica smiled to herself. She didn't mind being a distraction to Weevil. Actually, she liked that she could be. For all that they messed around, flirting and stuff over the years, it was a very recent realisation that he might mean it all, and that she might too. When she suggested going over to his place for coffee, she knew very well how he might take her words. Veronica Mars was no tease. She wasn't about to commit to spending the night with Weevil, though the thought may have crossed her mind. Still, she intended for something to happen, or perhaps, more accurately, she was ready for it if it did.

Weevil pulled the car up outside the apartment and killed the engine. Veronica wondered why she felt suddenly nervous, telling herself immediately she had no reason to. She looked at him in the same moment that he looked at her. Their eyes met, they both smiled, and the nerves melted away. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to Veronica to release her safety belt and lean over to kiss Weevil on the lips. He responded, just a little, and then in the next second he was diving out of the car like he'd been burnt.

"Maybe I'm not the only one feeling nervous," she muttered, watching him walk around the front of the car to come open her door for her too.

They headed inside and Weevil immediately went to make coffee. Veronica excused herself to the bathroom, giving herself a hard look in the mirror over the hand basin. The last time she was here, it wasn't planned, she and Weevil had drunk booze until the world got fuzzy, falling asleep with their arms around each other. She smiled just thinking about it. She could live with ending tonight the same way, though she knew it wouldn't happen. If she didn't go home tonight, her dad would suspect he knew why. Though she was a grown woman and could do whatever she wanted, Veronica wasn't sure she could handle that conversation in the morning. Still, she could probably be tempted to not care too much.

When Veronica came back to the living room, she found Weevil already on the couch with two mismatched mugs of coffee on the table in front of him. She smiled as she came over to join him, deliberately sitting close.

"Thanks," she said of the coffee.

"No problem," he told her, nodding his head.

They were close enough to kiss and Veronica couldn't really figure out what he wasn't doing it. She wasn't exactly a traditionalist, but Veronica always thought that Weevil kind of was. After all, when she tried asking him out, he insisted the guy did that, and he had since paid for dinner and been in control for most of this date. She was okay with that, she trusted him, and actually, it was kind of cool to be with a guy like that. It was more than a little of the attraction, truth be told, but right now, he wasn't doing anything.

"Are you okay?" she asked, frowning some.

"I'm cool, V," he assured her. "You?"

"Sure. A little confused though," she admitted. "This is okay, right?"

"This?" he asked, looking as baffled as she professed to be.

"Me and you, on this couch, this close, because I can move-"

"Don't," he urged her, the moment she tried. "Veronica, I ain't... You got no idea what you do to me, do you?"

Those words could've been something out of a cheesy movie or a bad romance novel, but the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice when he said it took all the potential humour out of the situation in a second. So much for briefly considering that Weevil didn't want her, Veronica realised now that really wasn't the problem. Maybe he wanted her too much, though somehow, she didn't think that could be possible.

"Tell me," she said, more softly than she meant to, putting her hand to his cheek. "What do I do?"

His eyes closed at the contact and the question.

"You drive me crazy," he told her, making himself look at her again. "You make me feel like I don't know what I'm doing half the time, and the stupid part is, those are the times that I like better than the other times when I do know," he admitted, smiling when he realised he had made her do the same. "Not much in my dumb screwed up life scares me, Veronica, but messin' up with you-"

"You won't. You can't," she promised, leaning in closer. "Eli, I... I don't know how this happened and I don't know what's going to happen next, which should scare me to death actually, but it doesn't. It can't, because it's you and I trust you. You, of all people, know how tough it is for me to trust anyone, but I trust you."

He couldn't take it anymore, he just had to be kissing her then. She sure didn't seem to mind, which was a hell of a good thing. Whatever happened tonight, whatever didn't happen, really didn't matter. Weevil thought it would but now he was sure he could live with getting everything or hardly anything at all from Veronica, so long as he had something. He just needed her, in his arms, telling him all the things she just told him, wanting to be right here in this moment just as much as he did. That was all that mattered right now.

 _To Be Continued..._


	9. Middle American Saturday Nights

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 9 - Middle American Saturday Nights

"So, come on. Details, Miss Mars!" said Mac, even as she worked on Veronica's computer issues. "What exactly happened on this amazing first date with Weevil Navarro?"

Veronica laid back on her bed, stretching her arms above her head and feigning innocence.

"Mac, you know I am not the type to kiss and tell."

"So, there was kissing, huh?" said Mac with a look. "Oh, my!" she added, pretending to fan herself with her hand before putting her attention back on the laptop on her friend's desk.

Veronica really didn't know what to say for the best, but just thinking about her date with Weevil the other night put a smile on her face that simply wouldn't budge. It had felt strange to start off with, going out for a romantic dinner with a guy who, up to now, had been nothing more than an associate, a friend, and a bodyguard when she needed one. Still, they got over the worst of the weird as the night wore on, and there was certainly nothing at all awkward about what happened at Weevil's place later in the evening.

The man could certainly kiss, that was for sure, and it wasn't just car engines that his hands were good at working on. It hadn't gone as far as it could have. Veronica had been tempted, but in the end, it was all a little too fast. When she told him, Eli could not have been sweeter about it. For a guy like him, with the rep he had, most never would believe he could be so kind or thoughtful, but Veronica knew better, she had for a long time.

Despite her own reputation, Veronica had told him the truth, that other than Duncan and Logan, she never gave herself to anyone else and she just wasn't ready to make the leap yet. Though he made a face at the sound of her exes' names, which was to be expected, that was as bad as it got. They slowed down, still had a good time, and then when the hour got late, Weevil drove Veronica home.

It was almost midnight when they arrived back. He opened her car door for her like a gentleman, the way he had been all night, then pulled her close and kissed her not like a gentleman at all. Honestly, Veronica would have been disappointed if he had done anything else.

"I guess this is goodnight, Cinderella," he said with a smirk, his arms still around her yet.

"I guess so," she agreed. "You know as Prince Charmings go, you're more qualified than you think" she had assured him, her hand at his cheek. "I had a great night tonight, Eli."

"Yeah, me too," he promised her, planting one last kiss on her lips before he let her go.

When Veronica watched him drive away, she almost wished she hadn't said goodnight at all. A part of her wished she had decided to stay over at his place. Of course, there was always next time.

"Veronica?" Mac's voice cut through her thoughts very suddenly and Veronica sat up fast to look at her. "You still alive there?" Mac teased.

"I'm here," she agreed, nodding her head as she sat up on the edge of the bed. "I have to admit, that was one great night."

It was unfair to say that much and not share. After all, Mac had told her plenty about her romance with Bronson. Veronica supposed she just wasn't quite used to having a girl friend to share that kind of stuff with yet. After Lilly, it was Wallace that she told all her secrets too, and he hardly wanted to hear about the love life of a person he looked upon as a sister. They rarely talked about who they were dating, it was just easier that way, but Veronica had to admit, she kind of liked having a fellow female that understood again. That said, she really did need to talk to Wallace and tell him about the whole her and Weevil thing. It probably wasn't going to go so well, given how the two of them first met and all, and it was part of the reason why Veronica hadn't exactly made an effort to share even that much information. The other part was that Wallace really hadn't been around much lately. He just seemed so busy all of the time.

"So, you make another date yet?" asked Mac when Veronica was through telling her about her first date with Weevil.

"Nothing definite." Veronica shook her head. "He called the next day and then I ran into him at Hearst once. He's kind of busy, I'm kind of busy, or I would be if my computer would play ball," she said with a sigh.

"Another half hour, you'll be good to go," Mac promised, gently patting Veronica's poor overworked laptop.

"Honestly? As much as I appreciate the hard work, I was kind of hoping to still be swamped with work this weekend," Veronica admitted then. "I ran into Logan yesterday. Apparently, I'm cordially invited to Parker's surprise birthday party."

"And does that offer extend to a plus one?" asked Mac with a look.

"Can you even imagine Weevil in that situation?"

"I can." Mac nodded. "That could, potentially, be very entertaining."

"That could, potentially, be very much a disaster. Come on, Mac, my ex, his new girlfriend, and my new guy, all in one room? Plus, please note, my ex and my new guy really, _really_ don't like each other. Actually, my best guy friend and my new guy don't like each other much either."

The more she thought about, the more Veronica felt all of the awkward weighing down on her, her fingers twisting together in her lap as she considered it.

"Ugh. I thought the worst part of all this was telling my dad about me and Weevil."

"It can't be so bad," Mac shrugged. "I mean, if Wallace and Logan and Weevil all care about you - and we both know they all do - they'll accept the situation like adults, right?"

Veronica made a face. "You do know who you're talking about, don't you?"

Mac couldn't help but laugh at the expression her friend wore, but she had to admit, maybe she hadn't thought the situation through properly. How it was supposed to be fixed, she had no idea at all.

"Hey, all I promised when I came here was to fix the computer. All that relationship stuff?" she said with a vague hand gesture. "Nothing to do with me."

Heaving a huge sigh, Veronica flopped bodily onto her bed again with a thud. Why could her life never be simple at all?

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" asked Veronica as she and Weevil came in through the front doors of the Neptune Grand and headed for the elevators. "I mean, I never actually said we were going to show, I only said 'maybe', so we really don't have to-"

"Veronica," he cut in, pulling on her arm when she went to step into the elevator ahead of him. "I'm gonna ask you this question one time and I'm hopin' you're gonna give me a straight answer that I can believe."

"Okay," she said, nodding her head and wondering what was about to happen.

Weevil looked a little too serious for her liking, and a little too hot for this occasion, if she were honest. She wasn't sure what made him don the leather jacket tonight. He hadn't worn it so much since the death of his beloved bike, but now it was back and Veronica wasn't at all sorry to see it. She could only assume it was a reaction to attending a party Logan was throwing, though the rest of his reactions to the whole affair had been shockingly calm, up to now.

"Are you ashamed to be seen with me at this party with your college friends and your ex and his new girl?"

Veronica's eyes went wide at the sound of the question. She intended to answer with a question of her own, asking how he could ever accuse of her of such a thing, and yet, she knew how he could. She was making such a big deal about them not going to Parker's party, giving Weevil every opportunity to back out, even though he showed no real sign of wanting to. It was quite clear how she had made him feel and Veronica felt sick the moment she realised it.

Stepping away from the elevators to let others through, Veronica grabbed Weevil's sleeve and pulled him with her into a dark corner. She made sure to meet his eyes straight on when she gave him her answer.

"If you think for one second that I am ever ashamed to be seen with you, anywhere or in front of anyone, then you don't know me as well as I thought you did, Eli Navarro," she said definitely. "I promise you, the only reason I was babbling about escape is for your benefit. I know how you feel about 09ers, about Logan in particular, and yes, there will be comments made about the fact we're going to show up together, but I don't care. That and I have Mr Sparky in my purse," she told him, smirking terribly, "so I can handle all the jealous women who will want a piece of my man."

Weevil smiled back at her, he couldn't help himself, his arms sliding around her as she pulled him closer by the lapels of his jacket.

"You've got class, Mars," he told her.

"So long as I've got you, Navarro, I'm all good," she promised him. "Also, did I tell you how good you look in this?" she said, running her hands over the leather of his jacket. "I mean, trust me, you don't really need the help, but I've kinda missed it anyway."

"Oh, yeah?" he said, smirking the same as her, as they both leaned into a kiss.

It would've been so easy to get lost in the moment, blow off the party, and go do their own thing someplace else, but both Veronica and Weevil were well aware of the significance of tonight, more now than ever.

Before long, they were headed into the elevator, holding hands, and putting on their game faces, ready to face their public.

"Your girl Mac already knows about this," said Weevil as they headed up. "Anybody else?"

"I managed to catch up with Wallace, which was an interesting conversation," she said, looking sideways at Weevil. "You do remember taping him to a flagpole in his underwear, right?"

"Right." Weevil nodded once. "Guy has a long memory. Not that I don't get it," he said thoughtfully then.

Veronica kept her mouth shut. She remembered the day Weevil was strung up the exact same way Senior year. She even mentioned it to Wallace when she was pitching the idea of her and Weevil dating. It hadn't helped much. She got a promise out of her BFF to be civil with her new guy and give him a real chance, but that was all.

"Wow, this party is going to be fun," she said, all full of her oft-heard sarcasm. "I guess I should be grateful you don't have a biker gang that can all hate me anymore."

"Trust me, with those guys, not liking you would not have been the problem," said Weevil, smirking when she looked his way.

"Seriously?"

"Hey, come on, you know my buddy Felix had a thing for blondes."

"Okay then," said Veronica, shaking her head.

She really had not been expecting that one. The elevator arrived at the right floor then, the doors opening to an empty hallway. Veronica gripped Weevil's hand a little tighter and was glad to feel him squeeze back. They headed towards Logan's suite, finding the door already open and the party in full swing. It felt bizarre to Veronica, walking into a scene like that, with Weevil by her side.

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right," she quoted with a sigh.

"Here we are," Weevil added, looking around at the sight.

"Hey, you came!" a voice cried happily as Parker came barrelling towards them. "I'm so glad you're here!" she told Veronica, hugging her with all the enthusiasm in the world.

"Happy birthday, Parker," she told her, patting her back. "Um, you know Weevil, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Parker nodded, though the smile she wore looked a little fake when she glanced at Veronica's date. "You fixed the flickering light in the hallway outside my dorm."

"That would be me," he told her, looking as awkward as he probably felt.

Veronica winced on his behalf, glad in the next moment to see Mac waving her over towards a couch. It was where Veronica and Weevil would spend the next half hour, trying to look like they belonged, neither one of them feeling like they really did.

Wallace wandered by with Piz and both said 'hi', though neither seemed like they wanted to be friendly. Veronica understood, even if she didn't particularly like it at all. She and Mac got into a conversation until Bronson finally put in an appearance. Veronica turned back to Weevil then, feeling bad for ignoring him too long.

"I'm a neglectful date," she said sadly. "I'm sorry."

"You can make it up to me later," he told her with a look that was unmistakable.

"I just might," she told him, planting a kiss on his lips.

They got a little lost in their own private moment, not noticing they had company until someone cleared their throat too loudly.

"Logan, hi," said Veronica squirming some. "Great party."

"Glad you could come," he told her, smiling somehow despite the weirdness of the situation. "Hey, Weevs. Good to see you. Kinda like old times," he said with a terrible smirk.

"Rockin' party, dude," Weevil replied, just as sarcastic as Logan, complete with overdone surfer voice and a hang ten sign to boot.

Veronica bit her lip so hard not to laugh she almost caused herself an injury.

"It is good that you stopped by... for Parker," said Logan, looking at Veronica again now.

"We wouldn't've missed it, but we do have to go pretty soon. Prior engagement, you know how it is."

"Sure." Logan nodded, finding her another brief smile before he turned away to talk to someone else.

"Prior engagement?" said Weevil, looking curiously at her.

"You really wanna spend the whole night here?"

As she asked, someone brought in a cake and Parker started bouncing and squealing. Someone turned up the volume on another overtly girly pop tune, and Logan looked ready to make a speech for the birthday girl.

"Right now, I'm actually missing the cell they had me in last summer."

Veronica smiled and got up, her hand still in Weevil's as she attempted to pull him up beside her.

"Then it's definitely time to make like the shepherd and get the flock out of here."

 _To Be Continued..._


	10. Base Urges

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 10 - Base Urges

"So, all is good, right?" Veronica asked Keith, shoving another spoonful of dessert-for-dinner into her mouth. "Cells full of perps, deputies all falling into line?"

"It's better since I fired those idiots over the whole fake ID situation," her father told her, re-joining her at the counter with a bottle of water in his hand. "Of course, that would have been less embarrassing if one of my guys hadn't caught Wallace and Piz with fakes that my daughter manufactured."

"The deputies didn't know that," said Veronica, eyes on the cherry she was chasing around her dish. "And I already said I was sorry... _about nine times_."

"I know that you did." Keith nodded. "Speaking of things that don't thrill me but I am learning to accept, how are things going with you and Eli Navarro, or is there nothing to say that I'd care to hear?" he asked with a look.

Veronica tried not to squirm too much. It didn't come easy. The truth was that she could honestly tell her dad that she and Weevil hadn't done the one thing that he would rather not think about yet. Almost, but not quite. They had stepped right up to that particular threshold, on the night of Parker's party last weekend actually, but still hadn't quite crossed over at this point. It seemed inevitable though. Of course, none of this was anything she could ever share with Pops.

"It's good," she said, clearing her throat and hoping it would clear her mind some too. "We get along really well, we have for a long time."

"Uh-huh." Keith nodded, taking a bite of his own food. "So long as he's treating you right."

"You know I wouldn't be with him if he wasn't," said Veronica with a look. "Come on, Dad, you know this."

"It's still nice to hear you say it once in a while. Comforting," Keith admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm a caring father, so sue me."

"You know I love that you care." Veronica smiled. "The fact is, Weevil cares about me too, and I care about him. It's working right now. I know it's early days yet in terms of actually dating, but we've known each other so long. We had the friendship and the trust, all that important stuff before we got closer. Isn't the best foundation for a relationship, any kind of relationship, mutual trust?"

Keith sighed heavily, knowing there was just no way for him to argue with that.

"When did you get so wise?" he asked Veronica, watching her smile back at him.

"I inherited my wisdom from my very wise father," she said definitely, popping another spoonful of dessert into her mouth. "I was actually wondering if there was maybe a night next week when the wise one might be pulling an all-nighter at the sheriff's station?"

His spoon clattering against his dish made Veronica jump a little, even though she half-expected that kind of reaction. She didn't dare look at him as she concentrated on eating another bite of her own food before she could continue.

"I was just thinking that if you were, well, I was hoping to maybe cook dinner... for me and Eli," she said carefully, peeking up at her dad when she was done speaking.

It was definitely one of the most awkward moments ever between father and daughter, but Keith knew there was really no way out of it. Veronica was growing up. She was nineteen already and had been behaving much like an adult for years now, especially in the last three since Lilly's death and everything that came after. She had to grow up so fast and in some of the worst conditions. If being with Eli Navarro made her happy, there was no way for Keith to be mad about that, and yet, he would love to be able to say no to Veronica's request. Technically, he still could, but no doubt that would just move this dinner date to Weevil's place, which might even be worse given the area of town he lived in.

"Dad, come on." Veronica rolled her eyes then. "I know that no parent wants to think about it, but I am a grown up, you know?"

"Yes, and your buddy Weevil is even more grown up than you," he said with a look.

"By one year!" Veronica exclaimed. "I dated Leo and he was even older than Weevil."

"A good man Leo." Keith nodded.

"Who committed a crime not so long ago, by the way," Veronica countered.

Keith was stumped. He knew that was true. Okay, so maybe Leo's crime wasn't as bad as some of Weevil's past behaviour, but they had both done wrong, they were both older, and at least at this point Veronica was no longer a minor. With a further heavy sigh, he knew he really had no choice but to finally give in.

"Tuesday."

"Tuesday?" Veronica echoed.

"I'll be out, most of the night, if not all of it, on Tuesday," said Keith with a look before giving his dessert-based dinner lots of attention.

"Oh." Veronica nodded. "Well, I guess that will work. Tuesday is a weird night for a dinner date but-"

"Veronica," said her father sharply. "You asked for a night, I'm giving you Tuesday. Now can we please talk about _anything_ else?"

Veronica smiled with over-the-top wideness on purpose.

"How 'bout them Padres, huh?" she asked, stuffing another spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth.

* * *

"Hello?" said Weevil, sure in a few minutes he would've been fast asleep if only the phone hadn't rung.

"Hey, handsome," said Veronica with a smile he could just hear.

"Hey, yourself," he replied, more glad now than ever that he was in fact still awake. "You need something, V?"

"Not exactly," she explained, "except for an answer to one simple question. Are you free Tuesday night?"

"For you? Always," he assured her. "What's so special about Tuesday?"

"Nothing, necessarily. I was just thinking, Dad's working late, so maybe you'd want to come over. I could cook dinner, like we talked about."

Weevil wasn't sure what the right reply was to that. Of course, he wanted to go to dinner at Veronica's place while her dad was out for the night. It was just that when they talked about maybe doing that sometime there was a distinct implication that there would be more than food on the menu. The fact was, things had almost gotten that far on their last date, until the neighbours started getting loud and ruining the mood. The fighting was bad enough but their making up was just too embarrassing to deal with, and too much to compete with, truth be told.

It was sometime around then that Veronica had said they should hang out at her place some night and that she could maybe cook for them both. It had seemed significant then. Somehow, it seemed doubly so now.

"Eli?" she said in his ear, the sound of his given name in her voice still giving him that certain feeling that never happened with anybody else.

"Yeah, sure," he told her then, shaking his head out of a fog. "Tuesday's good. Uh, you need me to bring anything?"

"Just your fine self," she told him with laughter in her voice. "Seven works for me if it does for you."

"I'll be there," he promised.

"Great. So, I guess that's all I really called for," she admitted then, "except to say I've kinda missed you these past few days."

" _Kinda_ missed me, huh?" he echoed with amusement.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as vague and lame as it came out," she apologised. "I have missed you. You don't seem to have been around much on campus."

"The boss has found all kinds of busy work for me lately. Cleaning out the basements, stuff like that. It's all glamour in maintenance."

"Nothing wrong with good honest toil," Veronica reminded him. "Besides, you're not your job, Eli. You're one of the best men in my life, you know that, right?"

"Whatever you say, V," he agreed, determined not to be stupidly emotional about it.

Thankfully, over the phone, she was likely not to notice anyway, but those words meant a lot to him, mostly because _she_ meant a lot to him. There were few women he had known in his time that could ever be as important to him as Veronica Mars.

"Speaking of glamourous," he said fast, glad to change the subject, "how's the PI biz? Bust any new crooks lately?"

"Not really." Veronica sighed. "My last big case was no case at all. Suspected theft turned out to be a mix up at the airport. You ever heard of Desmond Fellowes?" she asked then. "He was half of the band My Pretty Pony."

"The name's vaguely familiar. Probably not my kinda music."

"Probably not," she agreed. "Sorry, not interesting for you."

"Hey, if you dig it, V, then it's cool. It's you, so I'm interested," he assured her, happy just to sit there and listen to her talk for as long as she felt like going on.

That was just how much he loved her.

* * *

When Tuesday finally rolled around, Veronica wasn't sure if she was more excited or nervous about her date with Weevil. She had spent days refining the menu, planning out how she was going to prepare for dinner between classes, and trying to decide on the right outfit to wear. She knew she was going overboard and that it shouldn't be quite such a big deal, or maybe it should, at this point she really wasn't sure.

Veronica was a young woman who lost her virginity under the influence and since then had only ever slept with two guys, relationships that had both ended pretty badly. Jumping in like this with guy number three seemed foolish in some ways, and yet for the most part, she was so sure about it. She was so sure about Eli.

Her watch told her it was almost six thirty. The food was on track, so she moved back to her bedroom to check herself in the mirror, fixing her hair and ensuring she hadn't spilled anything on her dress. She adjusted the pendant at her neck and caught herself, finding a sad smile on her lips.

"What would you say if you could see me, Lilly?" she asked aloud. "Well, I guess maybe you can see me, but we're cool, right?"

Veronica and Weevil talked about it once, how strange it was that they had both been so close with Lilly and now were getting so close to each other in all kinds of ways. It was the same conversation in which he had confessed to a tattoo that might not sit well with Veronica.

"He really must've loved you a lot," she said now, eyes briefly heavenward as she recalled that night at Weevil's place when he took off his shirt for some reason other than getting familiar.

It didn't bother Veronica as much as he seemed to think it would. Truthfully, it didn't even bother her as much as she thought it might. Lilly was always with her, in her heart, in her memories, as vivid, definite, and permanent as if Veronica had a tattoo much like Weevil's own.

"If it's not too weird for you then it's not too weird for me," she promised him, kissing his shoulder. "I know you loved her. So did I. We both have a past, Eli, but we don't have to live there."

It had been a pretty special moment. If not for the complications of other people, that might have been _the_ night. In the end, it hadn't happened, and so there was tonight. Veronica hoped it ran a little more smoothly than before. She was ready for it to be the right time.

There was a knock on the front door at almost exactly seven o'clock. Veronica smiled when she opened the door and found him on the porch, wearing that leather jacket she loved so much, and carrying a single red rose.

"I know it's cliché," he told her.

"I like cliché," she promised him, taking the flower and giving him a kiss hello.

They ate dinner, made conversation, all very normal and as two of them had always been in so many ways. Though they were closer now, they had been such good friends for such a long time, these were the parts of the date that made sense, that they could handle without finding it weird.

When they moved to the couch with coffee, it all seemed so formulaic, like all the steps were laid out for them to follow. Almost as if it was what they were supposed to do rather than what they wanted, or more specifically, what she wanted. Veronica didn't see it that way, but Weevil clearly did. They hadn't been kissing long when he suddenly backed off.

"Hey, V," he said, getting her attention and meeting her eyes. "You know, this whole thing... I mean, me coming here and you cooking dinner."

"What?" she prompted when he suddenly went quiet.

"It's not that... I mean, come on, you know how much I want you," he assured her, before she got any kind of dumb idea that he didn't.

"Is there a 'but' that goes with that?" she asked, trying to keep the shake out of her voice. "Because there looks like there's a 'but'."

"I don't know, V," he told her honestly. "You know who I am, _what_ I am," he said more specifically, eyes everywhere but on hers now. "It ain't that I don't know what I'm doing here, you know that, but you and me... it's different. You're different."

" _Good_ different?" she asked, smirking a little, covering her nerves with humour, as was her habit.

"Amazing different and you know that too," he said, turning her head so they were looking straight at each other again. "I told you before, I'm not Prince Charming."

"And I told you, my life is no fairy-tale. I never expected it to be," she assured him, shaking her head. "Eli, after all this time, after everything we've been through, apart and together, if we don't know each other well enough by now, I don't think we ever will. I know you, I trust you," she said definitely, moving closer. "I... I love you, and I am so sure about what I'm doing. If you're not then-"

It was as far as she got before his lips covered hers, cutting off her words in the best possible way. He wanted this too, she was sure that he did, he was just looking out for her, the way he always did. It just seemed to take him a little while to realise that he was not one of the things she needed to be protected from. This was what she wanted. He was who she wanted, now more than ever.

 _To Be Continued..._


	11. I Know What You Did

**A/N: Thanks to those who review - I appreciate it :)**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 11 - I Know What You Did...

"Hey, Mac," Veronica greeted her with a big smile the moment she opened the door.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" her friend asked, putting on a frown. "I mean, you look vaguely familiar but I don't think I've actually seen you in quite a while." she said, eyes sparkling with fun.

Veronica faked an over the top laugh as Mac let her into the dorm.

"It's only been a few days," she said definitely.

"Long enough that I haven't heard a thing about a certain significant date that occurred, say, last Tuesday?" said Mac, one eyebrow raised as they both sat down, Mac back on her desk chair and Veronica on the edge of the bed. "I'm guessing that might have something to do with the smile on your face too."

"It might," Veronica agreed, feeling particularly girlish in making her admission. "Come on, Mac, you know this feeling. It wasn't so long ago that you and Bronson were in the same place."

"It is kind of a rush," she admitted, smiling right back at her friend. "It still is, mostly, but the first time, the first _few_ times," she amended with a look.

"Yeah, the first _more than a few_ times," said Veronica, giving her a similarly significant look back.

They really were not the kind of girls to get too personal with their conversation. Some things were between couples and didn't need to go any further, but it was no secret that both Veronica and Mac were enjoying the fact that they each had a boyfriend right now and were finding themselves completely satisfied in all departments.

"I am sorry I haven't been around," said Veronica eventually. "And it's not all Eli's fault either, although he is a big distraction that I do not mind at all," she admitted, grinning yet. "I have also been doing a little extra studying of the non-Hearst, variety. I booked my PI licence exam for this week."

"Wow. That is a big deal." Mac nodded. "I'd wish you luck but we already both know that you'll ace it, Bond."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Q." Veronica smiled. "I hope you're right. You have no idea how much I want to beat my dad's score!"

Mac laughed at the expression on her friend's face when she said it - it would've been tough not to.

"Speaking of your dad, how's he dealing with the whole you dating Weevil thing?"

"He's... dealing," she said vaguely. "I don't know, it's not like he was thrilled when I was with Logan either. I'm not sure a father is ever happy to know his daughter is having sex, that's for sure, but he trusts my judgement, he knows I wouldn't be with Eli if I wasn't sure of him."

"And you are sure of him." Mac nodded.

"Oh, yeah," Veronica said easily. "It's crazy, Mac, because I never saw this coming but it just... works. The two of us, we just fit. Yeah, I didn't mean that the way you're taking it," she added, seeing the look on Mac's face. "My goodness, you dorm-living girls, you think of nothing but sex!" she said dramatically, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not the one that has been AWOL for almost a week because the new boyfriend has too much stamina for his own good."

"He does that," said Veronica, deliberately leaving Mac wondering if she was kidding or not. "Anyway, I came here to catch up with you, and actually a little bit with Parker, but she seems to be elsewhere?"

"Probably with Logan" said Mac, shrugging her shoulders. "That seems to be going okay too."

"Good." Veronica nodded once, then saw the look on her friend's face. "Mac, I'm serious. I want Logan to be happy, I always have. We were friends from the age of twelve. I never hated him, not even when things got bad. I'm glad he's happy, and I'd like to think he's happy for me too."

"From what you've said, and from what I've seen, I'm not sure Logan and Weevil are ever going to see eye-to-eye on you, or anything else for that matter."

"Well, that's their problem." Veronica shrugged. "I'm too busy being happy right now to care."

* * *

Maybe Veronica ought to have known her happiness couldn't last too long. After all, she lived in Neptune and life hadn't been exactly rosy for quite a while. Every time she turned a corner she half-expected disaster these days, especially when things were actually going well. Of course, she passed her exam to become a PI, acing the test (though not quite beating her father's score), then a letter arrived in the mail, offering her an internship at the FBI in New York.

It was supposed to go that either your career or your love life was going well, never both, and yet Veronica had a boyfriend that she could rely upon too, and things were just going so well for her and Weevil. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the bad stuff to start happening, and it started with Leo.

Not that it was his fault exactly. He had turned up at the sheriff's station with a tip-off for Keith and an investigation into the suspected robbery followed, with the robbers being foiled by Vinnie Van Lowe, who then decided to run for sheriff in the upcoming election. That was the first problem. The second was that the Fitzpatricks seemed to be tied to Vinnie, even set on helping him win the Sheriff's spot, presumably because they knew they could get away with anything under his less-than-watchful eye. Those were the business problems, then there were the personal ones.

Veronica felt like she was spending less and less time with Wallace lately and so had really started making an effort to hang out. It seemed maybe she wasn't all of the problem. He seemed to be actively avoiding her, and that hurt, a lot.

"You know, if you tell me who put that look on your face, I will go and wipe the floor with theirs. Screw the consequences, it'd be worth the jail time," said Weevil as she met him by the cafeteria. "Don't they know better by now than to piss off my girl?"

"You would think," said Veronica, finding him a small smile. "It's nothing you can fix with violence, but thanks, anyway," she told him, leaning in to kiss him 'hello.' "Wallace is still avoiding me."

"And that's my fault," said Weevil regretfully.

"No, it's really not," Veronica assured him, her hand sliding into his own as they walked into the cafeteria for lunch. "Honestly, he's never been a huge fan of anyone that I've dated, and it's not like he doesn't have reasons to be mad at you."

" _A_ reason," Weevil reminded her. "And that was a long time ago, V. He got his apology, more than once actually. That makes him damn lucky."

"I know." Veronica nodded. "He'll come around, it's just weird not seeing him so much. I kind of wanted to tell him about my internship... and my PI licence," she said, grinning then as she rifled in her bag. "Check it out," she said, flashing her very official badge.

"Wow. I'm actually dating a woman who carries a badge," said Weevil, considering that fact for a moment. "Never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Imagine how crazy it'll feel when you're dating a woman who interns for the FBI," said Veronica, bumping his shoulder with her own. "That'll be pretty special, right?"

"Sure," he replied shortly, not smiling anymore.

Veronica couldn't quite figure out what was bothering him where her internship was concerned. It was a very big deal to her, she knew Eli understood that, and he even looked happy for her when she first told him about it, but after, he got quiet, distant, a little weird about the whole thing, and for the life of her, she could not figure out why.

When they had their food and had picked out a table, she slid into the seat closest to him and went straight in with the question that was on her mind.

"Do you not like the idea of me being with the FBI? I mean, does it really bother you?"

"Why would it bother me, V?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders and keeping his eyes on his food rather than her.

"Well, you just said you never thought you'd see the day when you dated a woman who carries a badge. A PI is one thing, there's a badass vibe, I know, but if I did end up at the FBI one day - I'm not saying I will, but if I did - would that not work for you? Would it be a deal-breaker?"

She didn't mean to sound quite so worried about it. After all, if a man couldn't accept a woman's career then he probably didn't deserve her. That's what any strong-willed woman with a mind of her own ought to think. That didn't mean that Veronica wouldn't seriously consider bending a little if she had to. When Weevil picked up her hand in his, raising it to his lips to kiss, she felt weirdly relieved.

"The fact that you are even considering that this," he said, gestunring vaguely between them, "still being what it is by the time you would get into the FBI makes me happier than you'll ever know," he told her softly, squeezing her hand before releasing it so they could both eat. "Would it be weird for me to date a Fed? You bet your ass it would, but you know how I feel about you, Veronica," he told her definitely, meeting her eyes with an intense gaze she knew and loved so much. "You know."

"I know," she intoned, nodding her head.

"Then we'd figure it out," he promised her. "I mean, come on, I'm learning to walk on the right side of the tracks, at least as much as you do anyway," he reminded her with a look. "I'd deal with it."

"That's good to know," Veronica told him, trying not to let her sigh of relief be too obvious as she dug into her food.

"Of course, this whole internship has kinda blown some plans I was making," Weevil went on to tell her. "I was thinking with all that free time over the summer, you and me could have some good times, but now you're going away to New York. Why'd I have to get mixed up with a career woman, huh?" he half-joked.

Veronica grinned, she couldn't help it.

"Would you really want me any other way?" she asked, leaning closer across the table.

"You really want me to answer that?" he checked with that gleam in his eye again.

It was enough to make any woman's knees goes weak, career-minded or otherwise, and Veronica didn't mind that one little bit.

"Mmm, maybe later," she said, sparing him a kiss before she sat up straight in her chair, mindful of the people all around, several of which were staring. "Speaking of career," she went on, between bites of pasta, "and your previous one on the other side of the tracks, I wanted to pick your brains about something. It has to do with Vinnie Van Lowe and the Fitzpatricks..."

* * *

"Veronica, where did you get these?" asked Keith, looking over the photographs she just handed him.

"A tip-off from a friend of a friend of a boyfriend of mine," she said with a smirk she couldn't help. "Weevil may play by the rules these days but he still knows people who know people. When I mentioned on our lunch date the other day that Vinnie and the Fitzpatricks might be in bed together, a contact of his pointed us in the right direction to get the evidence you need to knock him right out of the Sheriff's race."

It pleased Veronica more than even her father could ever entirely comprehend that she could help him out like that. It didn't hurt that Eli had been part of the process too. Anything that put the two of them as a couple in her father's good books was all positive as far as Veronica could tell.

"So, nothing illegal was done to obtain these?" asked Keith with a dubious look that she couldn't quite blame him for.

"Hello, licenced PI now," she reminded him, waving her hand in the air. "I was investigating, officially, a situation that required attention for an unnamed client, using a reliable but anonymous source," she recapped with a wide smile. "Did I do good?"

"You did very good." Keith smirked, unable to help it. "Thank you, honey, and you can thank Eli for me too, next time you see him. I'm not saying I couldn't have beaten Vinnie in this race without the help-"

"But it certainly does make life a little easier to knock him out sideways, doesn't it?" said Veronica smartly. "Satisfying too, to think that my only competition in town, as a fully-fledged PI in my own right, will also be completely eliminated when all the honest folks in town find out that Vinnie is no more than the Fitzpatricks' incompetent lacky."

"Don't sell yourself short, sweetheart." Keith shook his head. "With what we have here, we might even be able to put a few of those Irish mobsters away too."

"Then my work here is more than done," Veronica declared, hopping down from her stool. "I think I'm going to go over to Weevil's place, I'll pass on your thanks for the help."

"Just maybe don't be too enthusiastic about it," said Keith, turning away.

Veronica looked back at him from halfway to her room but chose not to react. He was kidding, just using humour to cover the embarrassment of presuming he knew what form Veronica's thanking her boyfriend might take. Well, she couldn't exactly say he was wrong, or that it wasn't embarrassing to know that he knew.

Having a close daddy-daughter bond was all well and good, Veronica wouldn't trade her relationship with her father for anything, but there were some things they just couldn't ever discuss, and that was probably for the best.

* * *

"You seriously expect me to believe the Sheriff sent you over here with that in mind?" asked Weevil as he and Veronica lay in his bed together, passion spent.

"That is not what I said," she reminded him, head pillowed comfortably on his chest. "I just told you that he was grateful for the evidence we got for him and then I told him I was coming over to thank you. I'm not saying he didn't figure out _how_ I was going to thank you, but that's really not the kind of thing a woman tells her father."

"Gracias a Dios for that," said Weevil, kissing her hair. "I've faced a lot of scary guys in my time, some with guns, and I never flinched, but your father? Damn, Mars, I love you, but there's a line, girl."

She giggled at that, she couldn't help it, then moved up next to him, propping herself up on her elbow.

"You know this isn't just about thanking you, right?" she checked. "I did actually want to be here."

"I figured," he agreed, smiling as he moved her hair back over her shoulder. "You know I'm still trying to figure out how this happened. I'm not sorry that it has but you and me? Always kind of seemed like a pipe dream."

"I know," she said, nodding her head. "You think our lives would've run any smoother if this had happened any sooner?" she asked, considering it carefully.

"Smooth living in Neptune, for people like us? I doubt it, V," he told her, fingers playing absently with her hair and making patterns across her bare shoulder. "'Course it might've been fun to see the looks on some faces if this had started back at Neptune High."

"Ha! According to what Mac was telling me before, a bunch of people thought that it _did_ start there," she explained, lying back down beside him and curling happily into his embrace. "I don't know that it would've worked then. I don't think we were ready for each other."

"Believe me, sweetheart, I was more than ready for you," he told her in a low voice that made her shiver in the best way.

"Hmm, not what I meant," she told him, sure he already knew in any case. "I just think we had too much stuff to work through back then. It's better now. It's the right time," she said, shifting to meet his eyes. "It feels like the right time."

"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed, as their lips met in a slow, lingering kiss. "Speaking of time, you and your distracting ways did me a solid at lunch the other day."

"So, you didn't get in trouble for being late back to work?" asked Veronica, recalling how he said he might when their lunch date over ran more than a bit before they noticed.

"The boss never noticed." Weevil shook his head. "But somebody else did. There's this guy Marty in the department, good guy, but none too bright. Seems he thought he didn't need to wait on me and tried to move a washing machine across campus by himself. I don't know exactly what he did, but he wasn't walking so good this morning."

"Ooh, poor Marty," said Veronica, wincing at the thought, "but hey, could've been worse. It might've been you with the damage."

"You got plans to make use of my uninjured self, V?" he asked, unable to keep from noticing the way she was moving against him right now.

"I might," she said, smiling into a kiss that she planted on his lips as she made her intentions more than clear.

 _To Be Continued..._


	12. Still Coming Down

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 12 - Still Coming Down

"You know people are staring at you, right?" said Weevil, walking hand-in-hand with Veronica from the parking lot onto the Hearst campus proper.

"Because I'm just so stunningly gorgeous?" she checked, flashing him a big smile.

"That's a part of it," he agreed, despite her sarcasm, leaning in to quickly kiss her lips. "But seriously, I don't want you catching any more crap than you have to in this place. This is not goin' to help your rep," he said, holding their joined hands up for her to see.

"Please!" Veronica rolled her eyes as they stopped walking by the steps to the main building. "My rep was shot to hell years ago. Besides, even if it wasn't, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm dating a hardworking, charming, extremely hot guy. If they're staring, they're probably just jealous," she said, sliding her arms up around his neck. "You have any other explanation, I don't want to hear it."

Weevil couldn't help but smile when she put it like that. It didn't seem to matter how many times he told her she was being a fool, the stubborn girl wouldn't let go. She told him before that she loved him, he didn't really doubt her, but it still amazed him every day that he had this, that he had her, and it wasn't just a dream.

"You around for lunch today?" he asked, pulling her closer.

"Could be," she said, nodding her agreement. "One o'clock in the cafeteria? I think I still have enough left on my card to buy us both a burrito without breaking the bank."

"You're all class, V," he told her, leaning down to kiss her lips.

"You dropped this."

Their moment ended rather more abruptly than intended as someone spoke, and Veronica turned sharply out of Weevil's embrace to find Wallace holding out a book to her that had clearly slid out of her bag when she was otherwise engaged.

"Thanks, Wallace," she said, taking it from him. "How are you doing?" she asked then, feeling weird even needing to ask.

They used to see each other every day, multiple times a day, and now she was lucky if she caught sight of him once a week. Even then he didn't seem to want to talk much and it hurt, every time.

"I'm alright," he said, glancing away. "I got class."

"Hey, Fennel!" Weevil called when Wallace turned quickly to leave. "We need to talk."

"No, we don't," Wallace insisted, though Veronica was grateful he at least stopped walking away and turned around to face them again. "What is it you think you and me would ever have to talk about?"

"I can think of a couple of things," said Weevil with a look on his face that Veronica hadn't seen in a while. She wasn't exactly glad to see it now.

"Eli, please," she urged him, pulling on his sleeve. "I don't want to make it worse."

"Who's making it worse?" he asked, sparing her a glance. "He's your best friend, V, so this needs figuring out. I'm done watching you look like you wanna die every time he walks on by and barely gives you the time of day."

She appreciated the sentiment, of course, she did. Veronica would have to be an idiot not to want her boyfriend and her best friend to get along, but it seemed impossible in the circumstances. It had taken forever for Wallace and Logan to find some common ground, and really, they had never been at odds with each other in the first place, just awkward because they were different types of people, and because Logan had been Veronica's enemy when Wallace first knew her. This thing between him and Weevil was personal and that would be much tougher to fix.

"Look, I get that you don't like me," said Weevil the moment Wallace was giving him his full attention. "I even get the why part of that, but for Veronica's sake, you can't be civil, man? What, you want me to say please or somethin'? Because for her, I will. Please, be the best friend to her she keeps on telling me you are and let the past lie, okay?"

It was quite the speech from a man that was generally of few words, but then Veronica always knew Weevil was smarter than he let on. He had to be to get away with half the things she knew he had.

Wallace didn't look entirely sold for a while. He stood there, arms folded across his chest, eyes moving from Weevil to Veronica and back again, like he was weighing up the situation. Veronica wasn't sure if she should say anything or not. Eventually, it got the better of her. She just had to.

"Wallace, I know this isn't all about Eli and me. I know I haven't been the greatest friend lately-"

"It's not all on you," he admitted then, shaking his head. "Truth is, I haven't been around so much either. Between my project for engineering and basketball and... and honestly? Helping Piz move past his unrequited thing for you, it's a lot," he explained, watching Veronica's face fall and even feeling a little sorry for her. "Look, I get that you can't help who you're attracted to or whatever. Piz ain't your type, I know that," he said, hand to his chest. "Hell, I should after knowing you so well and so long," he added, smiling some.

"You're my brother, Wallace, you know that, in everything but blood," she reminded him solemnly. "That's why it hurts so much when I think that you can't be happy for me."

"I ain't exactly doing back flips, Veronica," he said, looking sideways at Weevil a moment, "but I guess if you say you're happy, I should be cool with that. High school kind of seems like a long time ago already," he added, lifting his chin as he turned to look at Weevil again. "You're going to treat her right, okay, man? I know you're bigger and tougher than me, but that doesn't mean a thing. If anything happens to Veronica, if she gets hurt at all, I will be coming for you."

Weevil didn't flinch, just took one step in closer to Wallace and met his eyes with a steely gaze.

"If I hurt her, I'll let you give me the beating I deserve," he swore.

He said it so sincerely that Veronica actually thought she was going to cry. That situation only got worse when her boyfriend and best friend finally shook hands. A sigh of relief came rushing out of Veronica's lungs, though it may have been badly timed.

Within a second, a car had pulled up and two deputies came striding towards the three of them.

"Eli Navarro?" said one as they got closer.

"You gotta be kidding me," he muttered, turning to see the handcuffs in the hands of the other deputy.

Veronica could hardly believe this was happening.

* * *

"So, I talked things through with my dad," said Veronica as she walked up to the cell at the county lock up.

"I knew he wasn't happy about this," said Weevil, coming over to meet her at the bars and gesturing between the two of them, "but locking me up? Didn't see that coming."

Veronica smirked at the joke, she couldn't help it. Leaning against the bars as he did the same on the other side put her in mind of another occasion when she was in the cell and he was waiting on her release. They hadn't even had their first date then. In fact, it was her arrest that had delayed it.

"What's that look?" he asked, watching her expression shifting through different phases. "You jealous that I'm in your spot?" he teased, clearly recalling the same night she was.

"Is it wrong if I say you look better on that side?" she said, smirking yet. "You know women love a bad boy, right?"

"I think somebody told me that once," said Weevil, hands slipping through the bars, his fingers hooking into her belt loops and pulling her close as he could get her. "Of course, there's something about a bad girl too."

If not for the bars, the scene would've got awfully inappropriate, especially considering the fact they were at her father's workplace.

"Down boy," she advised, biting her lip. "My dad will be through here any second. He's just getting the paperwork in order."

"Paperwork?" Weevil checked, coming out of his lust-haze pretty fast at that word.

"Yup," Veronica confirmed, popping the p. "The students who are accusing you of this crazy fraud thing, they both said they met you at one in the basement of the history building."

"One? That's my lunch break."

"I know this." Veronica nodded. "And since you usually spend that with me-"

"There are witnesses that put me in the cafeteria, right?"

"Wrong."

Weevil looked confused and Veronica could understand why.

"Actually, on the dates in question, well, at least one of them, we were... otherwise engaged," she said with a look, "in your car."

"I remember," he told her with a look that might have made Veronica blush if she were anybody else.

"Yeah, well, me too. Of course, I may have said that was the case on _both_ occasions, but we'll worry about the shaky alibi later," she told him fast. "The point is, I covered for you, you're out. We both know you didn't do this, so the next job is to find out who actually did and make them pay. That's the really fun part," she reminded him, grinning wide.

Keith chose that moment to come through with the keys to let Weevil out and to assure him that it was nothing personal.

"We have to investigate all the angles, Eli. You understand."

"Sure thing, Sheriff." Weevil nodded. "No problem."

"It'll be even less of a problem when we figure out what's really going on," said Veronica definitely. "And you know I will."

Neither her father nor her boyfriend was going to argue with her on that point.

* * *

Two days later, when Veronica went over to Weevil's place to let him know she really had solved the mystery of the fake student IDs at Heart, she hadn't intended to stay long. Of course, when talk turned to kissing which led from the couch to the bed, she realised maybe she could afford to stay just a little bit longer.

"Well, I guess I'll be doing that Criminology paper tomorrow now," she said, breathing heavily and pulling the covers up higher over her body. "Not that I'm saying this isn't more fun, but you kind of derailed my good student type plans, Mr Navarro," she told him, smirking terribly. "Did anybody ever tell you you're a bad influence?"

"'Bout as many people as told you the same, I guess," said Weevil, pulling her closer and kissing her one more time. "You didn't take a whole lot of persuading."

"I'm a sucker for a pretty face," she replied, running her fingers down his cheek then his neck and shoulder. "You know, this whole getting inked thing, I never seriously thought about it before, but I don't know. Were you serious about the phoenix?"

It took Weevil a minute to figure out what she was talking about, beyond tattoos obviously. Of course, he might have remembered the conversation she was recalling a little faster if she gave him some real context, or if she wasn't touching him like that, not that he was going to request she stop any time soon.

"A tattoo? You're serious?" he checked, knowing she was tough to read sometimes, but still pretty sure he ought to be able to tell by now when she was kidding.

"I don't know," she repeated, shrugging her shoulders, eyes following her fingers that traced the outlines of Weevil's own ink from his shoulder, across his chest. "I was just thinking about it. Maybe I'll wait until my dad is okay about you and me before I tell him I'm planning another overly rebellious move," she said, smiling as she met his eyes. "Sorry, that made it sound like... I didn't mean it that way."

She shook her head, feeling so stupid. After all, Lilly had done exactly what she was describing, using Eli to make her parents crazy. That was never Veronica's idea of a good time. She would hate for him to think that, even for a second.

"Hey, I get it," he promised her, lifting her chin on his finger until she looked at him again. "I'm not stupid, V. I get why your dad isn't crazy about what we got here. I had a daughter, I wouldn't want her dating a guy like me either."

"There's nothing wrong with you," she told him softly. "I wouldn't be here if there were."

He leaned in to kiss her then. Veronica wrapped her arms around his neck and kept him close as the moment went on for a while, slow, lazy kisses that didn't need to lead to anything else right now.

"Y'know if you wanted the tattoo, nobody has to know about it," he told her when they parted, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. "So long as you got it where nobody else could look," he suggested, hand slipping beneath the covers to the very places he spoke of.

"It's an idea," she admitted breathlessly. "Probably wouldn't go down to well at the FBI if I had it anywhere too obvious anyway," she considered.

"Yeah, the FBI," he sighed, falling onto his back to stare at the ceiling. "Bet you'll have a great time there."

"Maybe," Veronica considered, knowing from the way he said it that part of him was hoping she didn't have too much of a great time. "But you do know that I'm going to miss you, right?" she told him, shifting closer. "So much."

"Yeah?"

"Want me to show you how much exactly?" she asked, moving her body against his own.

Eli did not need asking twice.

 _To Be Continued..._


	13. One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 13 - One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

It had been quite the moment for Veronica when her best friend had finally decided he could get along with her new boyfriend, for her sake, if nothing else. Still, it made it a whole lot easier to sell Wallace on the idea of Weevil being a larger part of their happy band when the whole Castle thing happened and he was able to lend a serious hand in the unravelling of the case.

When Wallace got tapped, it was Veronica alone that drove him to the secret warehouse and picked him up from the same. She had provided the pen with the hidden camera, something she still felt guilty about since it had led to him being thrown out into the dark wearing nothing but his boxers.

It was after that, when she had followed a fellow pledge to a mysterious house on the edge of town, that Weevil got involved. The moment she told him the tale of what had happened, he told her he knew that house, knew who lived there, and had a way in if she needed it.

Jake Kane. Of all the families to cross paths with again, Veronica could've used not having the Kanes back in her life. As much as she had loved Lilly, and Duncan too, they did tend to complicate matters, especially Jake. Now it seemed he was one of the big names in Castle and that put him at the top of Veronica's hit list.

She could've handled a little B&E. After all, it wouldn't be the first time, but that was where Weevil really came into his own. As cliched and awful as they both knew it was, Veronica was well-aware that the kind of people her boyfriend knew well were the kind that mowed lawns, cleaned houses, and were known simply to their employers as 'the help.' Unflattering as that was, it meant they mostly went unnoticed. One guy could often pass for another without anyone paying any mind.

"Being so lowly and having rich white folks think we all look the same has its perks," Eli told her, albeit with a bitterness to his tone. "My cousin works in that house. I can get in easy enough."

"You?" she had echoed, eyes wider than wide. "I get what you're saying about going unnoticed, and in any other house it could work, but Jake Kane will remember you."

"Only if he sees me," Weevil assured her, "and he ain't gonna see me, V. My cousin will get me in, his buddy will tell the boss that there's a problem on the other side of the house somewhere and keep him way away from the office. I'll get in there, take what you need."

She didn't like it at all. If they were caught, she could get into trouble, of course, but Eli was still on probation. He was risking everything and for what? Because Castle were mean to Wallace? Because they knew secrets they shouldn't about him and a whole bunch of others?

"Hey, he's your brother," he had told her easily. "I know what that's like. You do or die by your family, right? And if he matters to you then he matters to me."

She could've kissed him. In fact, she did kiss him, and a whole lot more besides in the hour that followed. Later, when they were dressed again and talking seriously about the plan, she had to admit she needed him. It was going to be too risky, her just trying to break in by herself, especially since the next-door neighbour clearly had security cameras set up, even if Jake's own arrangements were a little lacking.

As much as Veronica believed in her own abilities and trusted that Weevil knew what he was doing too, it was still a huge relief when they got away with the computer drive, apparently unnoticed. All that remained to do then was get the secrets out of the very much encrypted hardware. Though that was decidedly a Mac task, it was Weevil to the rescue one more time as he provided the keys and the cover to get the girls into the super-computer room at Hearst for the night.

"Did I ever tell you how truly amazing you are?" Veronica asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

"You might have mentioned it," he said, smirking terribly, one arm gripping her waist so she couldn't slip away yet, "but if you wanna go for an encore later...?"

"Sounds good." Veronica grinned, kissing him soundly.

"Hello? Hacker on standby here, people," said Mac too loudly. "Also, do not need to be seeing this display," she said definitely, waving a hand in the general direction of the kissing with added extras, though she was smiling even as she complained.

"Pay attention, you might learn something," said Weevil, winking at her as he turned to leave.

"He thinks I need to learn from you guys? He has no idea," said Mac primly, taking a seat at the computer.

Veronica was smiling widely as she joined her on the other desk chair, not willing to get involved in the silly banter. There were more important things to focus on right now. Unfortunately, the important things took a very long time. Strike that, a very, very, _very_ long time, in fact. Not that it mattered too much to the girls, they had plenty to talk about to while away some of the long hours of waiting.

"So, after the completely unexpected but weirdly sweet apology, he comes at me, all pouty and looking for some sugar."

"Dick Casablancas tried to kiss you?" Veronica checked, eyes wide and nose screwing itself up at the very idea of such a heinous thing.

"I know. Believe me, he got precisely nowhere!" said Mac definitely, turning her attention back to the computer screen. "Much like this decryption by the way."

She sighed, indicating the display to Veronica.

"Hey, only one digit to go in the passcode. That's good right?"

"Good but not great," said Mac, showing her friend her watch next. "There's a class in here in twenty minutes."

"Yikes!" Veronica gasped. "Well, hopefully we'll make it, then I'm going to have to get this drive returned before Jake Kane knows it's gone."

"You struck pretty lucky, dating a guy who knows a guy who works in that house," Mac considered.

"To be honest, as much as I hate to make a cliché true, Weevil knows someone who works at most of the bigger houses around here," said Veronica with a sigh. "Contacts are cool though."

"In your line of work, gotta be useful. Hey, you're not dating the guy for his underworld connections, are ya?" Mac teased.

"Believe me, he has other qualities," said Veronica, raising an eyebrow.

"If this is the part where you tell me he's good with his hands, I can live without it," said Mac, shaking her head. "However, I am glad you're happy."

"I'm very happy." Veronica nodded definitely.

"I can tell."

"Well, you and Bronson still seem pretty giddy yourselves."

"It's all going very well."

"That's good. Everybody's happy."

"Well, not everybody."

"I fixed things with Wallace," said Veronica, frowning at the idea she might be wrong about that. "He and Weevil are okay now, I know they are."

"I wasn't talking about Wallace," said Mac, shaking her head. "I meant Parker. You didn't hear that she and Logan broke up?"

"Damn, I'm really out of the loop." Veronica frowned harder. "What happened?"

"Mostly you," Mac explained, trying not to be too amused by the fact and clearly fining it tough. "Parker seems to think Logan is still a little hung up on you. He complains a lot about you and your new gentleman friend."

"Great. Bet that makes me real popular with Parker." Veronica sighed. "Well, I'm not convinced Logan would approve of any guy I dated after him, but Weevil was never going to go down too well."

"They do have history."

"That they do."

That was the moment when the computer made a pinging sound as the last digit dropped into the passcode.

"Mac?"

"That's it!" she exclaimed, grinning wide. "We're in."

* * *

Things finally seemed to be on the up and up. Veronica didn't like to think about it too much because just when she set her mind to enjoying how her life was going, that was generally when everything came crashing down around her ears. This time she was being wary, and yet, it was tough to keep the smile from her face as she poured herself another glass of non-alcoholic fizz and stared across the living room at her father, her best friend, and her boyfriend, all talking like buddies.

Veronica recalled her past boyfriends - Duncan, Troy, and Logan - none of which had gone down at all with Keith for various, fairly valid, reasons. He had liked Leo, but even the deputy had sparked certain comments about age gaps and such. When it came to Eli Navarro, Veronica was well-aware that her father had more reasons than ever before to worry about her. On paper, he really was not the kind of guy any parent would endorse as boyfriend material, but the guy known as Weevil sure had proven himself over the last few months, the last few days perhaps more than ever.

There was no way for Veronica to keep what she had done with regards her investigation into Castle from her dad, especially when he saw the article in the Hearst paper where Nish exposed the members' names for all the world to see, and not just the current list, all the key members going right back to the 1930s. Keith was too smart to believe anyone but Veronica had cracked that kind of secret and so she told him the whole story.

Was he thrilled about the not-quite-breaking-and-entering? Of course not. Did he like knowing his baby had been caught up in anything involving Jake Kane again? Not a chance. However, Weevil came off really well for his part in keeping Veronica from really, genuinely breaking the law and ensuring her safety at all times. He also couldn't have been prouder of Veronica for exposing such a heinous bunch of assholes as Castle, and Wallace was grateful to be well out of that whole situation too. He and Eli were as good as their word about trying to get along for her sake, no matter how tough. Veronica didn't think she could love them any more than she did right now, not any of the three of them.

"Oh, no," said Wallace as she re-joined them with her drink in her hand, "that's that smile she gets when she's plotting trouble," he noted.

"Nah, not today," Keith told him, shaking his head. "I think maybe we might just be seeing that rare Veronica Mars happy smile."

"That might actually be scarier," said Weevil, smirking terribly into his drink. "I mean, doesn't that just mean she already got done with the trouble and somebody somewhere is suffering for messing with her?"

"It's like you guys don't even know me at all," said Veronica rolling her eyes at their teasing. "For your information, this is in fact a happy smile, and not because I did anything," she told Weevil pointedly, even as he threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Tonight's just a good night is all."

"Can't argue with that," said Wallace, raising his glass and encouraging the others to do the same. "To Sheriff Keith Mars."

"Thank you, Wallace," said Keith himself as they all toasted. "Feels pretty good, I gotta admit, even if I did win by default."

"Even with opposition, you still woulda won this thing," said Weevil definitely. "And if you didn't, then this town is even crazier than I think it is."

"Amen to that!" said Veronica drinking again.

Keith smiled at her enthusiasm, reaching to pull her to him for a second and kissing the top of her head.

"I should mingle some more," he told her then. "Thanks for coming, boys," he said to Wallace and Weevil. "Oh, and Eli, you should come to dinner one-night next week, when I'm actually here," he said with a mock-stern look.

"Yes, sir." Weevil nodded once, sighing with relief when Keith finally turned away.

"You're actually a little afraid of him," said Veronica, giggling at the idea.

"Hey, can you blame the guy?" asked Wallace with a look. "The man that dates you got a lot of nerve, what with your dad and his gun, and me watchin' your back," he reminded her. "Excuse me, now. I see a lonely woman in need of some company," he said then, slipping away to where one of Veronica's neighbours, the attractive girl from 5B, was sat alone and bored.

"I think, maybe, he doesn't actually hate me anymore," said Weevil, considering that a moment. "And your dad might even like me too."

"Who wouldn't like you?" asked Veronica turning into his arms and putting her own up around his neck. "What's not to like about Eli Navarro?"

"Shorter list is what's not to love about Veronica Mars," he told her, smiling as he met her eyes. "You do know I love you, right?"

"I had an idea," she admitted, smiling right back at him. "We're gonna make this stick, you know?"

"You bet your ass we are," he promised her, leaning down to kiss her while her dad wasn't looking.

Maybe Veronica could afford to believe that everything was going to stay good, for a while, at least.

 _To Be Continued..._


	14. We Used To Be Friends

**A/N: Couldn't resist a little flashforward to finish - thanks to anyone who reviewed at all :)**

 _ **(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 14 - We Used To Be Friends

"Tell me again why we came to this thing?"

After their encounter with Madison Sinclair at the front desk, Eli Navarro wasn't surprised to hear Veronica ask that question. Of course, while she was pissed at Neptune High's most hated rich bitch, Weevil had actually enjoyed seeing her again. "You know, V, I never thought I'd live to see the day when I wanted to come see all these idiots from high school again, but with you on my arm, and the two of us still solid after all this time, I'm already havin' the time of my life, babe."

That got a smile out of Veronica. As if she could help it after a speech like that. She didn't exactly mind the looks she was getting when people saw her on his arm either. There had been rumours enough about the two of them back in the day. In fact, there had been rumours about Veronica and most of the guys (and some girls) in school nine years ago and more. Now they were seeing a new version of Veronica and the guy who had been known as Weevil for so long, and these days, they came as a package deal.

"Now I remember why I agreed to come here," she said, leaning in closer. "To drive every other woman in the room crazy by hanging all over you all night long."

"You're not gonna hear any complaints from me," he promised, leaning in to kiss her, just as her cell went off loudly in her purse. "You can't shut that thing off for one night?"

"It's not work," she said as she pulled her phone from her bag and checked the screen, "it's Dad, but everything is fine, he just can't find the bedtime book."

In the pursuit of texting while walking, even with Eli's hand on her arm helping to navigate her through the crowds of reunion goers, Veronica still managed to bump into an unsuspecting guy in her path.

"Hey," he said, spinning around fast, stopping short of getting mad when he realised who was there. "Well, if it isn't Veronica Mars."

She knew the voice in an instant and looked up fast into the face of her ex.

"Logan?" she gasped. "Wow, it's been... years," she said, reaching to hug him on instinct.

She noticed too late that Eli hadn't actually let go of her other hand and didn't seem keen to do so until the very last moment, allowing Veronica her hug with Logan. It wasn't as if she couldn't understand it, even if there really was no need. Old jealous habits died hard.

"Echolls," he said shortly as they parted.

"Weevs!" Logan declared, too happily. "Wow. The two of you, huh?"

"The two of us." Veronica nodded in agreement. "Actually, I should've corrected you before. It's not exactly Veronica Mars anymore," she explained, holding up her left hand to show off the gold band that lived there. "Veronica Navarro for almost five years now."

She knew she was smiling when she said it, certain she looked proud, though she would never out-do the look on Eli's face. Of all people that he wanted to stick it to tonight, Veronica knew Logan was one. As crazy as it seemed on the surface, she was sure that Eli was more pleased to see Logan than she ever was, just for this moment.

"Well, congratulations," said Logan, smiling like he meant it.

Veronica actually believed he might, especially when he called to a woman nearby and then ushered her over for introductions.

"Ah, the famous Veronica," said the pleasant looking woman with auburn hair and a kind smile as they shook hands.

"I'm famous? Makes a change from infamous," Veronica only half-joked, and even if Claire didn't get it, the guys sure did.

The cell went off in Veronica's bag again and she scrambled to get it, apologising for the interruption.

"Dad's having some babysitting issues," she explained awkwardly, stepping away to answer the call.

"You have kids?" Claire asked Weevil politely.

"Just one, so far," he explained, looking at Logan as much as Claire when he explained. "Felicia's three and a half," he said, calling up a photograph on his own cell and showing it to the couple.

Logan was looking at the picture when Veronica returned and then his eyes came up to meet hers.

"She's beautiful," he told her. "Like her mom."

"Any good looks that kid has is all her father," she said, squirming just a little. "She's Daddy's little angel."

"And Mama's little sidekick," Weevil reminded her. "I swear she's gonna be solving crimes before she learns her ABCs."

"Not if I got anything to do with it," said Wallace, appearing from behind Veronica and Weevil with drinks in his hands for them both. "Why have a teacher for an uncle if he's not gonna get you ahead of the game?"

Veronica smiled, accepting the drink and mostly watching everybody else talk after that. It got even easier to fade out of the conversation when Mac came to join in with the reunion. Everybody wanted to know what Logan had been up to since he had been gone from Neptune. Wallace, Mac, and even Weevil didn't mind filling him in on all that he had missed, while Claire took it all in with interest, asking questions when she got lost. Veronica just watched, listened, drank it all in and let her mind wander.

It was strange how things worked out, she thought. In another world, she might have stayed dating Logan through college, or they might have broken up and she could have dated someone else entirely. Maybe she could have stayed single, transferred schools, had a career somewhere far away from Neptune as a lawyer or an FBI agent, or something completely different. It wasn't that she wished for a different life. The truth was, Veronica couldn't imagine ever being happier than she was right here, right now.

Sheriff Mars kept the streets of Neptune as clean as possible, with Veronica picking up the cases not dealt with by the law as the new owner of Mars Investigations. She and her husband shared the load at home, raised their daughter, and made enough to get by between her investigations and his garage, built from the ashes of his uncle Angel's less-than-legal venture that had come before. All this was duly explained to Logan, and Veronica felt herself reliving every moment with a smile on her face.

"Wow. Sounds like you've got it all figured out," said Logan, shaking his head. "And hey, you haven't changed at all doing it. I swear you haven't aged a day, Veronica."

"That's a lie," she said bluntly, smiling nonetheless at the compliment. "I know I've definitely changed. Veronica Mars didn't have a tattoo for one thing."

"Seriously?" Logan echoed.

"Oh, you too, huh?" said Claire, smiling wide. "I have a heart right here," she explained, showing Veronica her wrist, "and musical notes right there on my ankle," she said, pointing down.

"Cute." Veronica nodded. "Sorry, can't really share mine. Not in a public consumption place," she explained, "but hey, get a few more drinks in me and who knows?"

She laughed at her own joke and so did everybody else. Veronica looked at Weevil and they shared a smile, his arm going around her automatically and pulling her closer. She went into his embrace willingly, kissing his cheek, as everybody else around them continued the conversation without them. That was fine by Veronica Navarro.

Times had been tough here and there, but they always came out on top in the end, her and Eli. As far as Veronica could tell, it was just how it was supposed to be.

The End


End file.
